A Wolf's Way
by zetawolf
Summary: The Wild Hunt get some new members, but can Ember's tribe turn these Palace-softened Sun Villagers into Wolfriders?
1. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my first EQ fanfic and I'm really nervous about it. It involves Original Characters (only two) and I haven't read all of the EQ series (mostly the stuff having to do with Ember's tribe after Wild Hunt and Dart's people), so big apologies if the time line seems a little off. The story is supposed to take place after Searcher and the Sword, and Mender's Tale is technically included, though excuse me if some details aren't mentioned/included because I really haven't found a summary of that story to properly understand and use it.

Chapter One

Ember was stunned the day she woke from the den she shared with her lifemate to find the Palace waiting just outside. It'd been awhile since she'd last communicated with her twin brother, but surely he would have sent to her if he'd planned on bringing the Palace to her remote part of the world. Yes, humans had abandoned the plains for quite some time, but still her first reaction was to demand that the Palace change into a more concealing shape. As if it could read her thoughts, the Palace shaped itself to look like a great lump of rock like the ones that could sometimes for found in the wild plains. The very presence of the Palace woken the others of Ember's Wild Hunt and bleary-eyed from sleep, the Wolfriders and Go-Backs approached the opening door.

"What's going on?" Pike yawned sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Beside him Krim looked very rumpled and grumpy for being awaken up so soon after she'd gotten to sleep.

"Father!" Ember cried without directly answering Pike's question.

From the Palace, Cutter Blood of Ten Chiefs stepped out and he smiled to see his daughter before him, looking every bit of a Wolfrider Chief and the mature leader she'd allowed her experiences to shape her into. Smiling right back at him, Ember embraced her father, letting him tell by her hug how much she'd missed him. It was strange to see Cutter without her mother, Leetah. Since they'd conquered the evil Djun, Cutter hadn't allowed his lifemate out of his sight. Yet here he was, standing all by himself. A sudden feeling of dread and worry struck Ember as thousands of bad possibilities that could have caused her father to appear without her mother filled her head.

_Father, what…?_

"We've had a bit of a problem," he answered cryptically.

"Problem?" Pool asked with a trace of eagerness. Even with his magic feeling tuned to Winnowill's magic, things had been very boring for him and Sust lately. Both youths relished the idea of an adventure perked both boys.

"What's the big problem?" Sust chimed in immediately, already picking up on Pool's own hopes for fun.

"Nothing so big," Cutter laughed at the cubs. Moving himself and Ember to the side, he gestured for two figures inside the Palace to step forward.

They were a male and a female that looked enough alike that it could be assumed that they were siblings. The male was taller than Cutter, lightly muscled from most likely farm work in the Sun Village. Thick black hair fell from the top of his head all the way passed his waist and, as a strong wind picked up and threw the bunch hair out, Ember could see that the Sun Villager's hair was cut into three different section by red hair ties. It gave the affect that his hair was much shorter than it really was, at least when someone was looking at him straightforwardly without wind. Held at his waist by a bright yellow cloth belt, the newcomer wore a brown loincloth that fell to his ankles in the front and back and a pair of dark leather sandals that were the same color brown. On his ankles he wore gold bans, which matched the gold head ban he wore that held a ruby in the center just like his triangular earrings. His neck was decorated with a multicolored collar of beads that were all the bright colors that the Sun Villagers could make, except for the row closest to his throat which, for some reason, had been made with brown beads. His jewelry chimed quietly with practically every turn of his head as he surveyed the land around them before bowing his head respectfully.

The female was bouncing slightly as he also looked at the open plains curiously. Her thick black hair was pulled into a high ponytail on the back of her head and, if she wore any head bans like the other, it wasn't possible to tell with the swoop of bangs that covered her forehead. Around her throat was a gold necklace bearing a large sun, which was the traditional symbol of the Sun Folk, and on her ears hung a pair of earrings that were just like the ones the male wore. The odd thing about her was her clothing; she was dressed in a style that looked as if it were trying to mimic the style of the Wild Hunt, yet had been created without a reference. The soft looking cloth was a dark green with fringes on the bottom and arms of the vest that was tied closed with brown laces, along with the bottom of her knee length skirt. There was a brown leather belt on her hips where a dagger was sheathed, which was the only weapon that Ember could see between the two.

"Chieftess Ember?" the girl inquired shyly, trying to keep her smile more pleasant than nervous.

"Yes," Ember answered cautiously, glancing over at her father who was staying completely neutral faced.

Sharing a violet-eyed look, the two elves dropped to their knees before Ember. "Chieftess Ember," the male began softly, then seemed to loose his nerve, so the girl looked up at Ember by rolling her eyes upwards without lifting her head.

"I am Kini, and this is my brother Merlo. We have spoken to the Sun-Toucher and Chief Cutter, and they have both agreed to allow us to petition you to join your tribe."

"What?" Krim shouted in surprise. Since the return of the Palace, which had brought Yun and Mender to the plains, the Howling Rock Tribe hadn't had any new elves show any interest in joining them. The fact that their first requests were coming from two Sun Villagers that none of them recognized even from the time all of the elves had gathered in the Palace was stunning in itself.

Ember felt just as confused as Krim, though she was better at hiding it. Cutter's neutrality had faded into a rather smirking smile and he lifted a brow as if to indicate that he was waiting for Ember to take charge of the situation. Cutter was just as glad to hand over the situation with these two to his daughter. Kini and Merlo had never been rambunctious children; the pair was always kept sheltered by their parents who were always a little afraid of the Wolfriders. The first time he'd actually met the pair was when they'd brought forth their petition to leave the Palace and the holt. There'd never been anything noticeable about the two Sun Villagers that would have suggested that they longed for life outside the Palace. But when they'd asked, the Wolfrider Chief hadn't had the heart to deny them the chance to see the world if they were willing to face the challenges and take the risks. He and Suntoucher had had a hard time dealing with the pair's parents (who'd none too secretly blamed the Wolfrider's influence for their children's uncharacteristic behavior), but they'd finally worked out an agreement that would keep Cutter from having to be the bad guy.

Quietly clearing her throat, Ember asked the two Sun Villagers to stand and gave them a more thorough look over. Both elves were slightly taller than her, which wasn't too odd amongst the Sun Folk, and held themselves like they were perfectly aware that she was sizing them up.

"Do you have kin among the Wolfriders?"

"No," Kini admitted sounding slightly ashamed.

"What about the Jack Wolfriders?"

"No." 

"Were you---"

"Kini was born only a year before we retreated into the caverns, Chieftess, and my parents Recognized a second time one eights afterwards," Merlo suddenly broke in, cheeks burning bright red. As if suddenly realizing that he'd just interrupted Ember's questioning, he cleared his throat nervously, eyes shifting to focus on anything except Ember as he finished off his thought. "I was born in the Palace. We never had the chance to know of the Jack Wolfriders, let alone join them."

"Our father fought against the Go-Backs," Kini threw in like she was trying to make up for their own lack of personal fighting experience by showing that they had some connection to a warrior. "He told us many stories of Dart's Tribe, and of your father's. Merlo and I both agreed that we wanted to become Wolfriders since we were able to walk. But our father and mother wouldn't allow us. They wished for us to stay in the safety of the Palace with them, at least until we were older."

Scouter, who'd been hanging in the back with Dewshine, Tyleet, and Pool, couldn't help but scowl at the pair. "Have you even stayed outside of the Palace longer than a night visit?" he asked sardonically.

"No," Kini answered honestly, looking down at the ground.

Merlo met Scouter straight in the eyes, something that would have been considered a challenge if another Wolfrider had done it, as he said, "But we've always wanted to. We never quite liked living in the Palace. It was too much like being in the caves, confined and sheltered to the point of being stifling. We wanted to be able to breathe for once."

"Mother and Father have Recognized again and will soon have another kitling to fawn over," Kini added with a twist of longing, as if she envied her parents' luck. Merlo had been the production of the last Recognition the Sun Folk had been blessed with; no one had expected it to happen again for her mother and father of all people. The thought of seeing and caring for a real baby appealed to Kini greatly, but the pull for adventure was stronger. "It seemed the best time for us to take our leave of the Palace."

"But if we were to live outside with Cutter's tribe, they would always be checking up on us, trying to convince us to return to them." 

"So we believed that our only option was to join the Wild Hunt, where it would take moving the Palace to find us."

Ember looked over to Teir and the Plains elf came over to stay beside his lifemate. _Beloved?_

_Their desire to be a part of our tribe is quite clear_, Teir sent back, a bemused smile curling his lips as he looked the pair over._ It just may be a good idea to take them up on their offer to join._

_Really? They've no experience living as we do. All they know really know is the soft-living of the Palace._ Her eyes narrowed at Merlo and Kini, a quiet sour taste developing on the tip of her tongue as the pair continued glancing around like they were afraid that some unknown monster was going to pop out of thin air and attack them. Ember knew that her silence unsettled them and it worried her. _Untried cubs can be a burden on a tribe as small as ours, especially when they **aren't** cubs._

_Ember, our tribe has not changed for eights of eights. Pool and Sust have reached full growth without Recognition, just as your father said happened with Tyleet during the disappearance of the Palace. Perhaps what we need is some new blood, to beat back the threatening stagnation._

Like all elves who still remembered Blue Mountain, Ember shuddered at that word, a fear rising in her as she realized how true her lifemate's words were. _Perhaps_. The Wolfrider Chieftess studied the two Sun Villagers, trying to push out what her head told her about them and to listen to what her heart told her about them.

"Merlo. Kini."

The Sun Villagers snapped to attention, all fear leaving them as they faced the Wolfrider Chieftess. "Yes."

"Will you follow our rules? Obey any order given to you by your leader? And do your best to handle whatever task may be presented to you?" 

"Yes," the pair replied in heartfelt unison.

Ember walked over to the Sun Villagers and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Then you are welcomed into our tribe."

to be continued...


	2. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Merlo and Kini were practically beside themselves as Ember led them to where the dens of the tribe were and the Palace disappeared out of sight, returning to Cutter's holt where it normally resided. They were allowed to "sniff around" as the Wolfrider Chieftess put it, and choose a den of their own liking. Pool and Sust quickly pointed out to Kini where their dens were, subtly implying that they would be all too happy to share with her, and were practically bouncing with anticipation as they watched the female Sun Villager look around. Ember could almost hear their sending bet over who she would pick. Yun, not being half as shy about her desires, went straight up to Merlo and welcomed him into her den any time he chose to visit. Rather than getting indignant over his lovemate's bold actions, Mender chuckled at the Sun Villager's stammered turn down of her offer as he zipped into the closest elf-sized hole in the hill and declared that he would be staying there. Sust and Pool were obviously disappointed when Kini picked the den just next door to her brother's hastily chosen sanctuary.

With that settled, Ember ordered everyone back to sleep, which no one was going to argue against. Even Sust and Pool in the excitement of meeting a new female had to admit that sleep would be welcomed. The Wild Hunt had been very active that previous night, which meant they'd have to sleep in the morning--- and probably well into the afternoon ---to regain their strength. Merlo and Kini looked uneasy about this, being day creatures themselves, but made no protest as they rested in their dens looking anxious for their new adventure to start.

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The following night, Kini and Merlo looked exhausted as the Wolfriders emerged from their dens. Neither had managed more than a brief nap during the day and now wanted nothing more than to sleep. However, they were determined to live with the Wild Hunt; they had been aware leaving their home in the Palace for the wild plains meant that they'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes, and accepted it. So the pair sleepily joined the group as Ember handed out their duties, trying to keep from rubbing their eyes too often and hiding their yawns.

Tonight Ember had inspected their meat supply and come to the conclusion that another hunt was needed to readily feed their now larger tribe. While the Wild Hunt gathered their weapons and wolves in preparation, Kini and Merlo watched from the base of Howling Rock, looking rather pensive about being around so many wolves and feeling rather useless. Ember hadn't looked at them once while she'd spoken, so the two were confused as to whether or not they'd be obligated to join the hunt. Neither Sun Villager had ever killed a living creature--- though Kini had a general knowledge of how to use the knife in her belt ---and even if they had, they certainly never would have used wolves to help them. Relying on such strange, unelfy things frightened the pair. A few of the beasts stopped to glance at the two new elves, but for the most part them were ignored, much to the Sun Villager's delight. However, seeing their obvious wariness towards the wolves, Pool brought his own wolf Far-Howl for the Sun Villagers to see up close.

"They're so big," Kini whispered in wonder.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Far-Howl is very friendly. Next to Patience, he's the calmest out of the pack. Go ahead and pet him. He likes new people."

Smiling at the Wolfrider, Kini tentatively reached out a shaking hand to stroke the gray wolf's thick coat like he requested and she beamed when Far-Howl's muzzle opened to pant happily. Merlo didn't move any closer, nor did he appear inclined to attempt to pet the wolf. He simply paled when Far-Howl lapped at Kini's hand playfully, muttering something under his breath as he tried to back away from the creature. Sandals not built to handle mossy ground slipped on badly placed rock and Merlo fell to the ground with a sharp cry, scaring Kini so that she jumped from Far-Howl and nearly tripped herself.

"I'm sorry," Pool apologized, pushing Far-Howl back and scurrying to sturdy Kini and help get her brother back on his feet.

Merlo hissed in pain, then said, "It's okay. I've just never been so close to a wolf before. They didn't come into the Palace."

"Are you bleeding?" Kini inquired. "We could have Mender---"

"No, it was just a stumble. Not even a scrape. I-I'm fine."

"Kini! Merlo!" Ember strode up to the three elves riding her wolf with terribly natural ease. "I won't ask you two to join the hunt, but while we're gone, Tyleet will be collecting berries and grasses. I want you two to stay close to her."

"Yes, Ember." The two siblings took off to where they could see the red head waiting for them with baskets in hands.

"Pool," Ember called to get Pool's attention away from the departing Sun Villagers. She had to laugh at the starry look in the young Wolfrider's eyes. "Ease up, Pool. They aren't going to become Wolfriders just because you introduced them to a wolf. You're going to scare them off before they've gotten the chance to settle down." 

Pool blushed and nodded, staring at the ground. But he didn't get the chance to revel in his embarrassment long. Sust came with his wolf, Winter Coat, whose fur was always thick and shaggy all year long, and scolded him for trying to earn extra points with Kini before he even got the chance to introduce himself. Smiling brightly at his friend, Pool climbed onto Far-Howl and trotted beside Krim's son. Ember smiled at the pair, then turned back one last time to make sure that Kini and Merlo had found Tyleet before joining her pack.

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Tyleet hadn't been too surprised when Ember had pulled her aside and asked that she take the two newcomers with her to berry hunt. After all, they were only Sun Villagers who couldn't really be expected to participate in a hunt on their first day, especially without wolf-friends, and Tyleet did seem to have a knack for befriending people. She glanced behind her to make sure that Kini and Merlo were following her and not getting left behind. They'd been walking for awhile and she assumed that, living in the Palace, the two Sun Villagers never had much reason to travel this far on foot. Though they were panting slightly, Kini and Merlo kept up with the Wolfrider; Kini even gave her a beaming smile when she caught eyes with Tyleet.

When they reached the woods, Tyleet handed them each a grass woven basket. "Tonight we're collection squirrel berries."

"Squirrel berries?" Merlo asked in confusion. "What are squirrel berries?" 

"I'll show you." Tyleet motioned for the pair to follow as she stepped into the trees. She nearly winced as Kini and Merlo stumbled in after her, making so much noise to her sensitive wolf ears even though they were probably moving too quietly for any human to hear. Keeping her attention focused on the plants around them, Tyleet searched the path until she found what they wanted. "Ah, these are squirrel berries." 

Kini and Merlo stared in wonder at the strange berry in the palm of Tyleet's hand. It's a deep, dark red that almost appeared brown, like the fur of so many squirrels, and at the end where a stalk should be are several stringy vines that looped to make the shape of a bushy tail. Kini laughed at the oddity of the plant and took it from the other elf to study it closer. Merlo grimaced at the thought of eating such a weird thing, especially since he'd never seen anything like it before.

"These are safe to eat?" he asked incredulously.

"Perfectly," Tyleet assured the Sun Villagers. Taking Kini's hand, she led the other female over to her left. "There's a bush of ripe ones here for you to pick, Kini. Merlo, there's another one just by the pond that you can pick from. Come."

"But---" 

"We'll finish faster if you two pick the berries and I gather the grasses." 

"But---" 

Kini gave Merlo a light shove in Tyleet's direction. "Go on, dreamy head. I'll be fine here. Just you don't go falling into that pond."

Merlo stuck his tongue at his sister and lifted his rounded nose high in the air as he followed after Tyleet, who hid her smile behind a delicate hand. It'd been so long since Howling Rock had housed children, but the two Sun Villagers acted like a pair of cubs. Tyleet found herself missing that innocent playfulness and, though she loved the one cub she'd borne and the human cub she'd lost so many years ago her memory of him was too dim to recall at will, she felt the painful longing for a babe to care for.

"Tyleet?" Merlo quipped, nudging her out of her thoughts. "Is this the spot?" 

Tyleet glanced around and shook her head. "No. See this." She pointed to a burred bush without touching it. "It's an itchbush. Touch any part of it and you'll be scratching like a wolf with sand fleas for days."

"Oh." 

"Here's your bush." Tyleet directed Merlo to a bush much closer to the pond's edge where squirrel berries grew abundantly. "Remember, don't pick the ones that are still green." Without plucking it off the vine, she showed him which of the berries she was talking about. "I am going to collect some nuts on my way back to the treeline to gather some grasses, then I'll trackback to Kini, then you. I won't be too long."

"O-Okay," Merlo said hesitantly, trying not to let his reluctance of being left on his own.

"You'll be fine, Merlo."

The dark skinned elf twirled around and grabbed onto Tyleet's shirt like a cub clinging to its mother. "But what if a bear suddenly pops out of the woods and wants to eat me?"

Tyleet laughed at his childish fear and impulsively hugged him to reassure him. The Sun Villager squeaked in surprise of the familiar gesture and blushed before relaxing enough to smile at the Wolfrider. "Don't worry. I'm watching over you," she whispered as she planted a kiss against his temple. Clearing his throat, he nodded and went to work sorting through the bush as Tyleet departed.

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Tyleet's basket was full of long thick grasses that would be dried back at the holt and used for padding dens and woven into more baskets for gathering. She made a mental note to ask the Sun Villagers if they knew had to make those strange sun hats Scouter had told her that some of their people wore in the desert during the hottest parts of the day. The plains could get awfully bright during the morning for Wolfrider eyes and it would do them all some good to have a way to constantly shade their eyes while they worked in the day time. She was just about to reach the spot where she'd left Kini when the sound of quiet singing reached her ears. Kini wasn't sitting in front of the squirrel berry bush, but had for some reason climbed up one of the trees.

"Kini?" Tyleet inquired with a half-hidden laugh. She hadn't been aware that the Sun Villager would even consider tree climbing until she'd adapted to their surrounding for a few weeks at least, but it appeared as if Kini had a streak of wildness in her that naturally led her to the high branches.

The Sun Villager looked down at the Wolfrider standing at the base of the tree and waved. "Tyleet, you'll never guess what I found. A whole family of squirrels, all curled up like lizards under a rock. It looks like they've been enjoying those squirrel berries, too." 

"Kini, what about your berries?"

"In the basket. I grabbed every one in sight and filled up fast." 

Studying the contents of Kini's basket, Tyleet grimaced and nearly groaned. Kini had indeed scooped up everything that had looked remotely like a berry--- small, green, overripe, and insect infested ---and even though the bush she'd placed the Sun Villager at had been full of ripe berries, a larger portion of the basket was no good. In fact, a few of the infested berries had probably already infected the good ones. A small section of the bush was missing where she'd simply grabbed the berries hidden inside the bush by the handful, along with their branches and leaves. It looked like the work of a half-minded cub who'd purposely failed their appointed task to get their work done as quickly as possible. However, as Kini came down from the branches, she smiled so sweetly and innocently at the Wolfrider, practically bouncing with joy as she awaited Tyleet's inspection of her work, that Tyleet knew she hadn't done such a bad job on purpose. Spending a majority of her life indoors, Kini probably just didn't know how to handle plants.

"Good work, Kini," Tyleet told the girl, trying to think of how she was going to gently correct her mistakes without giving off the impression that she was angry with her. "But some of the berries weren't ripe enough to be picked just yet."

Kini's face fell and she scampered over to the basket worriedly where she began to sift anxiously through her pickings. "Really? Which ones? How can I tell? When will they be ripe? Did I---"

"Easy, Kini, easy. It's all right." Tyleet gently moved Kini's scrambling hands away from the basket.

She picked up one of the green berries and proceeded to explain how to tell what berries were ready to be picked and which ones should be left on the bush for later. After that, Kini begged her to help correct the other mistakes she'd made, so Tyleet thoroughly went over the technique of plucking berries off a branch without taking anything extra with it, to allow more fruit to grow, and how to spot signs of insect infestation of fruit. Kini listened intently, looking as if she were trying to absorb every word that came out of Tyleet's mouth, and threw out a question of her own every now and then. When their lesson came to it's conclusion, Tyleet glanced up at the moon to calculate how much time had passed.

"You've spent more time here than we should have. The others should be coming back soon." After if one cue, a howl cut through the forest, making Kini squeak in surprise, then giggle nervously at her reaction. Tyleet smiled kindly at her. "We'll pick up Merlo, then hurry back. The kill was good. We'll eat well tonight."

"That's wonderful," Kini declared, picking up her newly sorted basket of perfect berries. "I wonder if Merlo heard that howl. Well, probably not. He more likely asleep at his bush by now, and nothing wakes him up."

Tyleet smiled without making a comment and slipped off into the woods to lead the way, giving Kini a lesson in stealth in the process. Kini did much better this time following Tyleet's footsteps as the pair made their way down the same path Tyleet had led Merlo down and soon came they upon the riverbank. While he wasn't asleep like Kini had predicted, Merlo certainly wasn't at his post by the squirrel berry bush. He was standing in the river, viciously scrubbing at his skin like he was trying to take if off. The Wolfrider was able to determine exactly what had happened.

"You can't scrub the itch away, Merlo. You're only making it worse." Tyleet placed her basket down as she entered the clearing and headed to the Sun Villager.

Merlo jumped at the sound of Tyleet's voice, nearly lost his footing, only to be sent tumbling to the riverbank where he collided with the Wolfrider sent to watch them. He looked extremely sheepish and embarrassed draped over Tyleet, still wet skin soaking her nice brown leathers--- he'd not even wasted time taking off his loin cloth which did the most damage to Tyleet's clothes ---and stuttered out numerous apologies. Tyleet didn't appear angry about Merlo's clumsiness nor did she see fit to reprimand him for getting her wet, though there were dozens of matronly Sun Villagers back home who normally would have chided him for being so careless. The red haired Wolfrider merely helped Merlo to his feet and took his hand as she led him back to shore. By his walk it was easy to tell that he was itching like crazy and not sure what to do about it. Taking pity on the poor elf, though she had warned him about itchbushes, Tyleet laid him down and began putting mud over the red patches of his dark skin. 

"The mud will help soothe the itch for now. When we get back to the holt, Mender can heal the rash."

"Thank you," Merlo sighed with gratitude as he allowed himself to enjoy the relief Tyleet's administrations brought him.

Kini clucked her tongue scoldingly as she came over carrying Merlo's nearly empty basket. "No more than a handful. Really, Merlo, how could you be so lazy?"

"I didn't mean to." The Sun Villager pouted as he absently plucked at the grass beside him while Tyleet applied a little more mud on his shoulders when she finished covering legs. "I was picking the berries when I saw the strangest butterfly, all bright and shimmering, like the Scrolls themselves. I...I followed it as best I could, then something ran over my foot--- I don't know what ---and I...I..."

"You jumped and tripped over your own feet right into the itchbush, right?"

The knowing smirk in Kini's voice was too much for Merlo and, impulsively, he grabbed a handful of mud from his leg and threw it at his sister. Kini, who had never expected her brother to do something so violent towards her, got a face full of mud, too stunned to dodge the attack. Tyleet gaped at Merlo, just as surprised as his sister by the Sun Villager's actions. Merlo himself seemed to just beginning to understand what he'd done and he spouted off as many apologies as he could as he scrambled to his feet. The glare the female gave him through a mask of dark brown would have chilled anyone to the bone and Merlo only for a second before he broke off into a run. Before Tyleet could call him back, Kini let out a growl worthy of a mad wolf and shot after him.

"Kini! Merlo! Wait!"

Running for his life, Merlo missed Tyleet's call and was suddenly struck with an overwhelming urge to laugh. Struggling for breath, he started to slow down and stumble, but kept himself moving. Kini was close behind him, determined to make Merlo pay, and when her brother tripped on a rouge rock just as he broke through the treeline, she didn't waste a second pouncing on him. The pair went rolling to the ground until Kini pinned Merlo to the ground and she scooped up the soft soil by his head to push against his face, cursing him fervently. Merlo was yelling for Kini to stop, telling her how out of portion she was taking the whole situation, but his sister didn't pay any attention to him as she continued to reap her retribution. 

"Well." The Sun Villagers froze when they looked up to see Ember sitting upon her wolf looking down at them. "Good to see that you two are enjoying yourselves out here."

Tyleet exited the woods at that moment, drawing the attention of those present. Behind Ember, Pool, Sust, and Scouter looked at Tyleet, then to the Sun Villagers and back again, the question plain in their eyes. Their currently situation wasn't exactly the easiest to explain at the moment, so Tyleet decided not to do it. Instead she walked over to get Kini standing, then Merlo. She shooed the pair back into the trees to fetch their baskets like a mother scolding her cubs and went after them to retrieve the basket she'd also abandoned. Scout couldn't help his smile as Kini and Merlo obeyed, still glaring at each, and laughter escaped him when the trio emerged with their rather meager yield. He dismounted and approached the Sun Villagers, taking the baskets and spilling the contents of one into the other. They made less than a full basket.

"Enough for Krim to work with," he assessed.

"Yeah, barely," Pool whispered.

"We'll take what we've got," Ember declared, nudging her wolf back the way they'd come. When they'd returned to Howling Rock to find the Sun Villagers and Tyleet still not back yet, she'd been worried that the newcomers had gotten into trouble and endangered themselves. Fortunately she'd only been half right.

to be continued...


	3. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Scouter was sleeping in his den when he first heard the groaning warning that someone was moving just outside. He patiently waited for whoever it was to enter and state their business so he could get back to sleep, but after a few moments, he caught the sound of something wet plopping to the ground. Sighing through his nose, Scouter decided he should check on his reluctant visitor. Slipping out of his sleeping furs and throwing on his pants, he exited his nice warm den, leaving his lifemates to their sleep, and looked over the quivering mass of pain and fear sitting at his den's opening.

Merlo was dirty, wet, sniffling, and shaking like a leaf as he wrung his makeshift wooden spear in his hands tight enough to make his knuckles go white. There were a few gashes on his bare chest and legs and handfuls of his long, thick black hair was sticking out of the ties he used to hold the mass out of his way. His loin cloth was torn at the edges, making the cloth fall only a little passed his knees and his every present circlet was slightly askew upon his brow. Over all, Merlo was a certified mess.

With a sigh, Scouter sat beside the forlorn Sun Villager, not quite sure exactly how he was supposed to approach him. A few heartbeats passed before he opened the conversation with, "Weren't you suppose to be on a hunting trip with Teir this morning?"

Merlo sniffled and nodded stiffly, burying his face against his arms, which he wrapped around his knees. A morning hunt had been chosen because of the Sun Villager's lack of keen night vision and Merlo had been positively beaming when he'd set off with Teir. Scouter couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to upset the eager elf so badly. Still he tried to ease his questioning to avoid upsetting him further.

"Did Teir come back with you?"

His head shook, rattling his beads and earrings.

"He sent you back ahead of him?"

"I ran," he muttered thickly.

"What?" 

"It was too hard! I tried and tried, but I just couldn't do it!" Merlo angrily tossed his spear to the ground and clapped his hands over his head. "The birds were just too fast when I used the bow and I missed by eights every time I tried to hit something throwing my spear. So, Teir decided we needed to try for something else, something I could handle easier. So we went to the open plains where the herd was, and he found the perfect catch. The, the cuphorn had separated from the herd and was standing right there, right in front of me." Merlo looked up at Scouter with haunted violet eyes. "I could see it looking at me, Scouter, right at me. By the Palace, how could I could I kill it like that?"

"Merlo..." 

"Then Teir did it, because I couldn't and...and..." Tears choked his next words until he took a heaving breath. "There was blood everywhere and Teir, he just...he didn't even...all the blood!" Merlo broke down sobbing so hard he couldn't speak anymore. 

Scouter bit his lip, then reached out to the Sun Villager, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "The hunt wasn't born in you, Merlo. It's all right. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I wanted to be a Wolfrider so badly," the younger elf hiccupped. "Since I was a kitling. That's why I came here in the first place. But now, after that...I can't. I can't kill anything like that, Scouter. It-It wasn't---"

"---What you were expecting," the Wolfrider scout completed Merlo's thought. "You never got the chance to watch Cutter's clan and how they survived, did you, Merlo?"

"I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the Wolfrider's hunt. Mother barely allowed me to eat the meat of their kill."

Scouter winced at the very thought of such deprivation. He found it hard to believe that Merlo's parents could have been so overprotective, but then again, the Sun Folk tended to coddle their young. He remembered how they'd reacted to simply having the wolves living outside their borders when the Wolfriders had first joined them. Most of them had been terrified of the creatures, especially when it came to their young getting close. Still, the Wolfrider couldn't help but think that Merlo had been much more than coddled.

"I never thought---when Cutter and everyone spoke of the hunt...is it always like that?" The Sun Villager up looked at Scouter with his innocent eyes quaking with terror. "Is that what it's really like living out here, so cold and brutal?"

Scouter pondered over Merlo's question, partly wishing that he'd woken up Tyleet to handle the newcomer, or maybe even Dewshine. Both of his lifemates were much better at setting others at ease than he was. Despite his fiercely protective nature, Scouter wasn't very good at making new connections with people, especially when they were so different than himself (aka not Wolfriders). However, it was him that Merlo was looking to for guidance at the moment and, while he'd proven that he wasn't the best of leaders, he knew that he had to do some thing for the broken hearted Sun Villager. But it was best to stay off the subject, at least for a little while, until he knew just what he'd do.

"How did you get yourself so wet?"

"I got sick in the river afterwards, then fell off the bank." 

Scouter didn't know how to respond to that honest admission. He'd grown up a Wolfrider where the ferocity of the hunt was just a normal part of life and even his time spent in the Sun Village hadn't changed his view of the world very much. "The Way" was important to him, a part of who he was, yet he did understand that to other elves, those not of Wolfrider blood, it could be horrifying. Even those who considered the Wolfriders good friends or near-idols could be frightened away once they were exposed to the harshness of it. It was really a special Sun Villager who could handle the Wolfrider life without flinching and, as much as he liked Merlo, Scouter wasn't sure the gentle elf had it in him. To react so violently over a simple hunt...

"I'm a coward," Merlo whispered as he curled in on himself. "A fool and a coward."

"Merlo..." 

"Mender!" 

The two elves shot up at the sound of Ember's shout and without wasting time for words, they both ran to the source. Kini was with Ember who called again for the Wolfrider healer. Startled out of his sleep, Mender stumbled only half-dressed out of his den, being careful not to step on anything with his bare feet. Yun's sleepy head poked out of the same den as she stirred to see what the commotion was about. 

"High Ones Above, what's the matter?" she grumbled.

"There's been an accident," Ember answered brusquely. Pulled by the shouts, the other members of the Wild Hunt began to gather. Pike and Krim looked as crumbled as they typically did in the early morning, but were curious to see what had their Chieftess yelling. Sust and Pool, seeing that it was Kini who was injured, rushed over to take her from Ember, both trying to ask how she was at the same time.

"Ember!" Scouter and Merlo came to a halt in front of the Sun Villager trying to split her attention between the young males and the siblings' eyes grew wide at the sight of each other.

"What happened to you?" Kini and Merlo asked each other in unison.

"She fell straight into a sticker bush," Ember explained for Kini. "I told you it was a mistake to climb that tree. You were just lucky you didn't make it too high, or it could have been much worse."

"I could have gotten higher. I just didn't know those branches were rotten inside," Kini protested weakly. "They all looked healthy enough."

"Rotten wood smells different. If you'd taken the time---"

"I can't smell the difference in wood. That's impossible---OW!" Kini's pout instantly changed into a grimace as Mender stretched out the arm she'd been cradling to her chest in order to examine it. "Ow!" she repeated as his healer fingers probed the limb. 

"It's broken, but not too hard to mend. It'll be some work getting all of those stickers out of you, though." Experimentally, Mender gripped a thorny bramble and yanked it off of Kini's dark skin.

"YEOWCH!" Kini shouted, trying to yank her arm away. "Stop it, Mender! That really hurts."

Mender placed his hands on his hips like he was addressing a stubborn cub. "I'm going to have to remove all of the stickers before I can heal you, Kini. If I just heal you now, the skin will just close over the stickers."

"But removing them will hurt," Merlo gasped, worried over how his sister had reacted to Mender tearing off just one of the stickers.

"Don't worry, Butterfly." Yun somehow managed to snatch Kini away from the boys, playing crutch much better than they would, as she addressed the male Sun Villager. "Mender's hands ease pain just as quickly as they can cause it. Kini will be fine."

Merlo blushed at the pet name Yun had insisted on giving him since they'd told them what had happened when the first time they'd been sent to gather berries with Tyleet. She loved to tease him about how easily distracted he was, especially when it came to butterflies and shimmering things. It was an ongoing joke that he had to be constantly watched or else he'd find some trouble to wander into. Not on purpose, of course, but still.

Kini sighed wearily, deciding that if she was going to have to go through with this, it was best to just get it out with. "Will this give me the proper excuse to collapse for a few hours?" she asked with a smile.

"Not quite," Mender chuckled. "Taking out the stickers and repairing the damage shouldn't take very long at all."

Kini pouted at the missed opportunity to get in a little more sleep. Even living with the Wolfrider tribe for over three weeks, she wasn't quite used to the alternating sleep patterns of the Wild Hunt and was pretty much tired out most of the time. Mender squeezed Kini's shoulder reassuringly before nodding his head to the side, indicating his den. Throwing Merlo a last wink, Yun led Kini after Mender back to his den. Merlo winced at the soft, pained whimpers his sister made as they moved.

"We'll keep Kini company while Mender works," Sust reassured Merlo and he and Pool shot off.

Pike shook his head at his son. "Those two are going to turn that girl into a cornered longtooth if they don't slow down."

"More like a cornered mouse. She's more likely to dash than lash out," Krim laughed, tugging her lifemate back to their den.

"You weren't expected back for awhile, Merlo." Ember approached the Sun Villager much more relaxed now that she'd gotten Kini to Mender. She was confident that Mender would have Kini back on her feet in no time. However, Merlo's disheveled appearance was worrisome on its own, especially since he didn't appear to be physically injured.

Looking very uncertain as to how he was going to answer her question, Merlo turned to Scouter, face pleading the other elf to speak in his stead to Ember. Scouter felt the weight behind Merlo's gaze, understood that the Sun Villager wasn't afraid of the consequences of his desertion, but of how weak he would appear to be in his Chieftess' eyes because he had run away from the hunt. That was something Scouter could sympathize with, so he decided that Merlo needed someone to explain the situation for him--- he was too emotionally close to it to make much sense ---and opened his mouth. However, a sharp Sending cut him off before he could begin.

_Merlo!_ Just behind them, opposite of the direction Ember and Kini had come from, Teir appeared with his wolves closely following him. The Plains elf was visibly angry and his frustration vibrated in his Sending. _You were supposed to stay with me until the hunt was over. I had to abandon a majority of the meat to go looking for you. _

"Teir, what..." Ember's eyes trailed off like her voice from her lifemate to the blushing Sun Villager. Merlo lowered his head shamefully, avoiding looking at Ember as he explained what had happened on his hunt with Teir and throwing apology after apology to the other elf.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just run off, I know. I'm---"

"Merlo, stop apologizing," Ember ordered sternly.

Merlo bit his bottom lip to stifle his next words and Scouter had to cut off the automatic chuckle that came from watching how thoroughly the Sun Villager tried to follow Ember's orders. Teir was less than amused, rather annoyed by the waste of his hunt actually, but Merlo's hapless apologies had eased his anger to the point where he was willing to forgive the awkward man-cub. It was obvious that Merlo hadn't meant to cause him grief.

"There might still be something worth bringing back of your kill, Teir," Ember mentioned off handedly. "If the scavengers haven't found it yet. We'll take some of the wolves and have them help carry it back to the holt."

Merlo definitely looked a green as he inquired weakly, "Ember, should I come along to help? Teir wouldn't have---"

"No, Merlo," the Wolfrider Chieftess cut him off. Although it was commendable of Merlo to volunteer, it was obvious that the Sun Villager wouldn't actually be any help in his current condition. Ember hadn't expected Merlo to be so sensitive about hunting. After all, he had come asking to join the Wild Hunt. Surely he must have known about their lifestyle, their day to day workings, and, of course, about "the Way."

"Why don't we get you cleaned up, huh?" Scouter tugged on a cluster of hair that fell between the Sun Villager's eyes and smiled warmly. "Dewshine and Tyleet would love the chance to play with all this hair."

Merlo laughed nervously, feeling slightly better, and nodded, following Scouter back to his own den to retrieve the things he'd need to fix himself back into proper order while Ember and Teir took the wolves back to where Teir had left his kill.

---------------------------------------------------

"Ow!" Kini sucked on her injured finger, then waved it to help alleviate the stinging. Tyleet was at her side the next instant, inspecting the tiny trickle of blood that seeped from the prickly husk. "Not again," Kini groaned angrily.

"You have to be careful with these spike balls, Kini. The nut meat is good to eat, but the outer coating"--- Tyleet grabbed one of the thorny nuts, placing her fingers in between the sharp defensive spikes ---"are dangerous. That's why you have to cut off the points before shelling it. Like this." Carefully, catching the Sun Villager's eyes to make sure she was watching, Tyleet used her knife to clip off several sharp points, then spun the nut around to do away with the rest of them.

"You're so good at that," Kini said with obvious admiration for the red head. With embarrassed giggles, she presented her hands to Tyleet; they're covered scratches and cuts, a few even still bled. "I might be able to use a dagger to stab fish, but apparently knives are beyond me."

Tyleet examined Kini's wounds, wondering why the Sun Villager hadn't gone to Mender to get healed up by now. She felt a small swell of pride over the fact that Kini hadn't gone running to the healer at the first sign of pain, but this was a little ridiculous. "Why don't you have Mender fix those hands of yours? Then we can find Merlo and go search for some safe, soft berries."

"More berries?" Kini sighed.

"I like berries," Merlo announced as he came upon the pair, making Kini jump slightly in surprise. Since his first failed hunt, he'd had to crop his loin cloth to knee length because of the earlier damage, which result in an improvement in the stealth of his movement that actually allowed him to sneak up on his sister from time to time.

"I've gotten used to meat," Kini grumbled with a pout. "I like meat." 

Merlo turned a little green and his lips pulled into a tight line. He hadn't eaten any meat since his failed hunting trip with Teir, other than some fish Scouter caught and gave him. "Encouragement" the Wolfrider scout had called the gifts, trying to get the Sun Villager used to eating fish enough to get him interested in doing some fishing on his own. It had almost made Merlo laugh at the time; the last three times he'd tried his hand at fishing, he'd nearly drowned.

"Have you tried hunting yet?" Tyleet inquired of Kini curiously. Although she was usually left to care for the two Sun Villagers, there were days when they wandered off with the other members of the tribe. 

"Yes." Kini couldn't help but add smugly, "I caught a rabbit."

"Pool and Sust caught the rabbit," Merlo corrected her, not liking the high and mighty tone of his sister's voice. "They just used you to scare it out."

Kini entertained the thought of throwing the spike nut she had in her hand at her brother, but decided against it and instead stuck her tongue at him. She was just glad that Merlo hadn't heard of how she'd nearly gotten sick when Pool had attempted to share a piece of the still bloody kill with her right after their hunt.

_At least I'm willing to help, **Butterfly**._

Although he normally felt embarrassment when someone referred to him by that name, this time a small flame of rage burned in the Sun Villager's heart. He and Kini teased each other quite a bit, but her taunting tone and obvious condensation was really starting to bother him. 

"I'm no good at hunting," he stated plainly, hiding the bud of bitterness that rose as he spoke. "Why should I try to stick my nose in where it doesn't belong pretending to be an expert of something I know nothing about and get someone hurt for my own pride?"

This time it was Kini's turn to flush at Merlo's subtle reminder of what had happened the previous week when she'd tried to help Pike pick dreamberries for the coming full moon howl. She still wasn't very good with plants, but had insisted that she knew enough to be of help. However, every single berry she'd picked had turned out to be so overripe that not even the Howlskeeper could stomach them. In fact, Pike had needed Mender to help with the few that he had gulped down. Krim forbidden Kini from helping her lifemate with anything else ever again, and Kini had felt so bad that she'd agreed. If it weren't for Tyleet always insisting that they do so, she would have stayed away from plant gathering all together.

"It's a good thing too," Kini replied after she regained her composure, looking at Merlo from down her button nose. "High Ones know, you're too clumsy to be trusted with a sharp object in any situation. How many times have you fallen into that stream, brother dear?" 

"About as many times as you've fallen out of a tree, sister," Merlo shot back with venom. "For an elf, you do lack a certain grace." 

"And for a male, you lack---"

"All right, you two," Tyleet scolded softly, stepping between the siblings before they could get too out of hand and wrapping an arm around their shoulders to help calm them. "If we aren't berry hunting, then we can finish weaving those baskets we left undone last night."

The pair groaned in complaint as Tyleet led them to the empty den where they stored the dried grasses. They continued to lock-send insults, until Tyleet scolded them again for it. Reaching the holding den, they each took an armful of dried grass and sulked as they wove. Quite some time passed in silence, until Kini looked up to check her brother's progress. She couldn't help but laugh at how her brother struggled to bend the plants into the correct shape, usually breaking the fragile grasses as he tried to force it.

"Softer, Merlo," Tyleet advised him, taking the basket he was working on to demonstrate how to weave again.

"I'm trying," the Sun Villager growled between clenched teeth, almost sounding like he was ready to just shreg the stubborn plants. When he ruined his fourth basket, he threw his project on the ground and cursed it vividly. "To the desert's waste with this! I'm going to see what Scouter's doing." Merlo's sandles slapped hard against his feet as he stormed away.

Kini chuckled at her brother's departure, admiring the perfection of her newly woven basket. "I swear, he spends so much time hanging on Scouter, you'd think they were lovemates."

"Merlo just needs time," Tyleet said automatically, ignoring Kini's words concerning her lifemate. She knew that Merlo's relationship with Scouter was a pure, innocent one and even if it weren't, Tyleet wouldn't have cared. At the moment, Kini was simply angry and wanted to dig up whatever dirt she could about her brother to complain about. Although she didn't approve of that particular sort of venting, she knew that the female's bad mood would pass soon enough.

"Time, time, time," Kini growled under her breath, grabbing a new basket. "It's always more time." Although immortal and, thus not sensitive to the passing of time, Kini felt something biting at her heels like a wolf chasing down a deer who'd strayed from the herd.

---------------------------------------------------

Ember laid resting in her den with Teir, tired but not quite able to go to sleep just yet. Outside the other Wolfriders were heading for their own furs. Teir ran his fingers through her red mane, perfectly quiet, waiting for Ember to choose when they would talk about what was bothering her. He didn't have too long of a wait.

_This isn't working out, Teir._

Teir looked down at his lifemate, raising a single eyebrow. What isn't?

_Kini and Merlo._ Ember sat up in her furs, placing her chin on her fist thoughtfully. _They just aren't...__  
_  
_They're not Wolfriders, beloved. And we should always remember that before passing any sort of judgment up them._ Teir scooted behind his lifemate, holding her tenderly.

_Yes, I know. I can't fault them for not being born one of us._ Knowing that she wouldn't be going to sleep until she got this off her chest, Ember got out of the furs and started to dress._ I would have thought they'd at least be happier here, but those two..._

_Still fighting?_ Teir also got out of bed to slip into his clothes. It wouldn't be the first time he would have stayed awake talking to Ember about the tribe; he was just happy that his Fire Hair was so willing to involve him in the running of the pack, especially at times like these when she seemed to be at a loss of what to do. 

_It's getting worse. That time, when they first arrived, it was fun and games like wolf cubs pouncing on each other. But now there's teeth in their arguments; their insults have a true bite.___

_They're getting frustrated. Like you, they thought they'd fit into the pack easier, sooner, but they still can't find their feet. ___

_It's been a whole moon cycle.___

_Yes, and it'll probably be another one before they're ready to truly be part of the pack._

Ember bit her bottom lip at that. Another moon cycle of those two arguing, fighting, getting into all sort of trouble. How many times had she rushed Kini to Mender for healing? How many times had Merlo broken down crying or gotten sick after watching the hunt? Too many for Ember to properly count. It was difficult for the Chieftess, but she brought voice to the one solution to their problem that had been nagging her for the pass eight and four days. _Maybe...maybe we should contact my father, bring the Palace back._

Teir stared at his lifemate. _Is that what you really want to do?_

Ember sighed wearily and chewed on her thumb. _I don't know._

_Beloved._ Teir took Ember's hand and led her out of their den to the top of Howling Rock. The fresh night air would help clear their heads and, Teir hoped, keep Ember from making any hasty decisions. When she chose a place to sit, Teir sat right behind her, practically holding her in his lap. _It would be easy to give up, wouldn't it? To say that this situation is too hard, isn't working out, and send those grown cubs home._

Ember sighed, not liking her thoughts so bluntly put into such harsh sounding words. But Teir was right; it was exactly what she'd been thinking. _We've been lucky that they haven't been insisting on being part of the hunt. If they tried to prove something..._

Although the consequences following such an action were gruesome, Teir couldn't help but laugh. "No, they certainly haven't been pushing to be warriors."

"Or gatherers," Ember couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke. Kini was had started making her distaste for plant gathering known to the entire tribe in a very...vivid manner. "And what else do we need in this tribe? How do we get them to be part of us?"

"A tribe's strength isn't only in it's warriors and gatherers. There are other jobs a tribe can fill and stay functioning. Maybe we should open them to Kini and Merlo, see if they bite."

Ember felt slightly stunned by Teir's soft words of advice; she really hadn't thought about actively trying to find a place for the Sun Villagers. Not all Wolfrider's were much for the hunt, but they hadn't been banished because of it. By forcing the Sun Villagers to conform to their idea of what it meant to be a Wolfrider, they were only helping stagnation settle in. What they really needed some variation in more than just the origin of their tribesmates; they needed in the way their tribe lived.

to be continued...


	4. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Ember watched her tribe atop the cliff overlooking the pound in which her tribe regularly visited. It was nice seeing the Wild Hunt like this, relaxed and comfortable without a single care in the world. For some reason, it felt like a very long time since that sort of atmosphere surrounded the Wolfriders. Even Kini and Merlo, who'd become rather snappish during the past week, were enjoying themselves. Merlo--- who had yet to enter the water or remove his clothing ---was resting on the bank on his stomach, sleepily chatting with Scouter as Tyleet and Dewshine brushed and braided his long thick hair, weaving wild flowers and leaves into it decoratively. Kini was in the water splashing Yun until Pool and Sust ambushed the female Go-Back. The two females exchanged glances before attacking the two in furious retaliation. Mender was watching the battle with amusement until a stray batch of water hit him, soaking him through and through. With a mock growl, her tossed off his clothes and jumped into the water, joining the fight by making everyone a fair target.

The Chieftess lifted a hand to her mouth to hide the smile that she couldn't fight back, partly afraid that if she were to laugh, she would break the spell that had been woven around the tribe. 

"Enjoying the view?" Teir approached his lifemate and sat beside her in one graceful move.

Ember smiled coyly at Teir, then threw herself back to stretch out, propping herself up with her arms behind her back. She swung her chief's lock idly, reveling in the feel of the sun warming her face. "Yes, actually. This was certainly what our tribe needed. Some time away from duties and work, to just relax."

"To cool off tempers and bodies," Teir agreed.

"Something I need to do right now," Ember said, finally releasing the laughter that had been bubbling in her chest. Getting to her feet, Ember quickly threw off her leathers and, tossing her lifemate a teasing look over her shoulder, gave a loud yell as she plunged off the cliff into the water, curling into a tight ball as she fell only to straighten out and hit the water like an arrow.

"Chieftess!" Kini gasped in terror, eye going huge as she watched their chieftess descend. When she hit the water, Kini broke away from the water battle and swam to Ember's side, grabbing her arm worriedly when she resurfaced. "Ember, By the Great Sun, why did you do that? You could have been hurt."

"Are you okay?" Merlo, hair unbound and wild, only partially finished, waded into the water until it soaked the end of his cropped loincloth. He started to reach out for Ember, but hesitate coming closer when Ember tilted her head quizzically at him.

"Of course. It was a short dive."

"Exactly," Kini responded, almost sounding as if she were scolding the older elf. "You could have broken your neck."

Merlo glanced at the spot where Ember had impacted and his eyes went wide as if something had just come to him. "What if there'd been rocks on the bottom?"

"Or an undercurrent that could have sucked you up?"

"Or---" 

"Hold up, you two." Krim came forward, easing Kini away from Ember and giving her a firm shake to calm her. "Stop your worrying. We've used this place for swimming before. We know it."

"But, you should be more careful," Kini insisted, avoiding looking the Go-Back female in the eyes.

"Cubs," Pike joined in from his spot on the bank, chewing on a long piece of grass instead of the dreamberries in his hands (he was saving those for later). "Ember wouldn't have jumped if she wasn't sure that it was safe."

"I...guess," Merlo relented, face burning red as he realized how they must have seemed, over reacting to something the others obviously considered normal behavior.

"Everything all right?" Teir called from on top of the cliff, leaning over the edge to look down at the pack.

"Everything's fine," Ember shouted back, then turned her attention to the still agitated Sun Villagers. Of the two, Kini looked the most distressed, obviously disturbed by the "risky behavior" of their leader; Merlo appeared to be more embarrassed than anything. "Right, Kini?" 

"Sorry, Chieftess. I just...I saw you jump and...I…" The Sun Villager licked her lips nervously, glancing at the elves around her, then--- as if suddenly realizing that she was the only one still worried ---nodded, wringing her hands. "It's fine."

Far from convinced by Kini's reaction, Ember placed her hands on Kini's small shoulders and ducked her head to look her in the eyes. With a soft smile, she cocked her head to the side and asked, "Really?" 

Kini giggled nervously, feeling embarrassed that Ember was putting forth so much effort just to make sure she wasn't worried anymore. "Yes, Chieftess."

Patting the other elf's shoulders firmly, Ember pulled back upright, saying, "Good." She then turned her attention to her lifemate still perched on the cliff above. "Are you coming in or not, Teir?" 

Taking this as the sign that things were back to normal, Scouter brought Merlo back to the bank where Dewshine mockingly scolded him for getting up before they were done with his hair. Merlo apologized, promising not to do it again, and laid back down so the girls could finish their work. Yun didn't waste any time getting Kini back involved in their battle, switching sides to help Pool and Sust waterlog the Sun Villager. Luckily Mender came to her rescue and their game was on again.

There was a splash, larger than the one Ember had made, as Teir joined the pack and Kini's jump was high enough for all to see, though they all pretended that they hadn't.

Krim had to force herself not to shake her head at the Sun Villagers as she went back to land to convince her lifemate to leave his pouch of dreamberries and enter the water. However, Pike just waved off the idea; he was perfectly happy right now just lounging without the effort of keeping himself afloat. Besides, those waters weren't safe until his son and Scouter's decided to let the water stay in the river. As if to prove his point, a large wave hit the bank, just missing Pike and Krim's feet.

Understanding that Pike just wasn't in the mood for water fun that day--- and with fairly good reason ---Krim settled beside him, taking Ember's place as spectator. Although she wasn't naturally a reflective elf, Krim studied the newest members of her pack with a strange sort of intrigue. Go-Back children matured so quickly, as did most Wolfrider cubs, it was strange seeing grown cubs like Kini and her brother who reacted so badly to just a miniscule brush with danger. Back at the lodge, every child knew that life was all about taking risks and having fun, be it with a roll in the furs or the rush of battle. She could barely believe that the Sun Folk still smothered their children like this, taught them to fear everything outside of their enclosed shelter.

"Dreamy without berries?" Pike chuckled, surprised to find a thoughtful look on his lifemate's face. As much as he loved her, Krim thoughtful was about as likely as Teir dreamberry drunk.

"Those two aren't going to make it, are they?" Krim asked instead of answering Pike's question.

The Howl-keeper blinked blankly at Krim, then allowed her question to sink in. "Oh, I'm sure they will eventually. Dart formed a whole pack of Wolfriders from Sun Folk stock."

"Jack-Wolfriders," Krim corrected him, turning onto her back to place her hands behind her head. "And those at least were Sun Village Sun Folk, not Palace-Dwellers."

The elder Wolfrider and Go-Back looked at where the elves in question played with their tribemembers, as happily as if they had been part of the pack for years. But they both knew it was only an illusion. Once they returned to Howling Rock, Merlo would continue to balk at the hunt, his ability to cope with it as a part of his daily life continuously waning, and Kini's temper would grow shorter and her resentful of always being put on berry picking duty would swell. The pair would be back to getting under each other's skin and biting when all that frustration and irritability built up more than ever. Then the problem of what to do with the Sun Villagers would rear its ugly head again and, unless Ember was keeping some sort of secret plan under her seat, they'd have quite a time trying to solve it. 

With a sigh, Pike rolled on his side to wrap an arm around Krim's small waist. "We'll just have to see."

---------------------------------------------------

Kini sat at the base of Howling Rock watching the warriors of the tribe scuffling with their wolves and generally greeting each other before their next hunt. Even Tyleet was now there, playing with her Patience, though they wouldn't be joining the hunt so she could look after the Sun Villagers. As usual, she, Merlo, and Kini would be left behind to guard their home---from what, Kini had no idea because these plains were empty of anything other than themselves and the animals they hunted. Even as paranoid as Merlo was, they hadn't seen a single bear or longtooth during their entire stay. It bothered Kini like nothing else to feel so useless, but when it came to hunting, in all honesty, she had no desire to join in and she knew that if she tried, she'd only fail miserably. Kini didn't like to fail at anything.

With such a frustrating contradict in her heart and head, it was no wonder that she'd been snapping at Merlo all day, since he was the only one she felt comfortable being mean to. Feeling restless, Kini got up and strolled over to the shadowed side of Howling Rock to wait for Tyleet to finish with the wolves. She wasn't surprised to find Merlo on this side of the holt, crouched over something she couldn't quite make out, but she could tell he was taking it very seriously. Smiling rather wickedly, she sauntered over to her brother and loomed over him, purposely blocking his light.

"So, dreamy head, is there a good reason you're playing in the dirt again?"

"There's a rock here I like," Merlo replied evenly, "and I'm trying to dig it out." He was well aware of Kini's latest mood and, as always, figured he would just wait it out. If only Tyleet wasn't busy with the other Wolfriders…

"If you were a rock-shaper, you could just force it out."

"Well, I'm not a rock-shaper."

"True." Kini crossed her arms behind her back and stretched out the toe of her sandals to kick at the dirt her brother was trying to move. "Mother Recognized Father in the Palace, conceived you in the Palace, gave birth to you there, and raised you almost exclusively in the Palace, but you have yet to show even the smallest hint of magical power all these years. No rockshaping, treeshaping, gliding, healing…magic-feelings. Not a single talent, as magic-less as a Go-Back."

Merlo bit down on his bottom lip and felt a familiar gloom settle over his head. Unfortunately this was a topic often brought up when his sister wanted to get a reaction out of him. However, this time he was determined not to let her get to him. Taking a deep breath, he said as flatly as he could, "Leave me alone, Kini. My heads hurts and all I want is to get this rock out."

"You ability to send isn't stronger than the average Sun Villager," Kini continued as Merlo hadn't spoken. She started to pace around the other elf, idly scratching the surface of the ground around the rock whenever she passed it. "The Wolfriders probably do it better."

"Yes, dear sister," Merlo muttered under his breath, his bubbling annoyance and anger fueling his efforts to dig out the fascinating rock. "I'm sure they do. You, on the other hand, cannot boast such abilities, can you? You've spent almost all of your life in the Palace and still…you're just as deficient as I am."

Kini stopped her pace, stung by the way Merlo had turned the argument on her, and she pouted, "I am not deficient."

"Then neither am I," Merlo replied simply. "We're simply two average Sun Villagers with the foolish notion that we can pass for Wolfriders. Ah-ha!" The rock came out at last and Merlo heaved a sigh of relief as he looked it over, marveling at the crystal-like properties. His violet eyes dilated as he wandered himself to get lost in the beauty of the rock, tuning Kini out completely with a smile on his face. However, Kini didn't appreciate Merlo's dismissal. She still out some stream to let out and there was nothing more difficult than arguing with Merlo once he decided that he wasn't going to allow himself to hear anything he didn't want to.

"There you go, dreamy head, spacing out again," Kini grumbled under her breath. "All over some stupid rock."

"It's more crystalline than rock, actually." He turned the opaque stone over in his hand, admiring the way the sunlight bounced off its sides. "You know, Kini, you need a hobby," Merlo sighed off handedly.

"Like what? Rock collecting, like you?"

"No. What about knitting? You used to love to knit. You even brought some of that zwoot yarn with you."

Kini couldn't help but glance longingly in the direction of her den where said treasure was kept, but she shook her head with a sigh. "Leather is the Wolfrider way. Zwoot yarn isn't even for real Sun Villagers; it's for Palace Dwellers." Feeling more depressed than angry now, Kini sat beside her brother, leaning against the base of Howling Rock sleepily. "We aren't Palace Dweller anymore, and we're not Sun Villagers."

"Well, we're certainly not Go-Backs or Wolfriders. Where does that leave us?"

Kini slammed her fist against the ground. "I'm going to be a Wolfrider. I don't care how long it takes---"

"That's a lie," Merlo snapped, attention ripping from his stone to his sister. "If you really didn't care, you wouldn't be snapping at me everyday like a near-wolf with foaming sickness."

"Shut up!" Kini demanded as she got back on her feet, giving her brother a light kick in the ribs with the toe of her sandal.

Merlo jumped up instantly, pushing Kini. "You shut up!"

Kini swatted his hand away like she was dealing with a bothersome fly, knocking the rock he'd found down the slope of the hill. _Don't even start with me, **Butterfly**._

Violet eyes narrowing angrily, Merlo deliberately lifted the hand she'd slapped, letting his sister's eyes follow as he reached out and shoved her again. That was it. Without her normal snarl of fury, Kini threw herself at Merlo, bringing her brother down instantly, but Merlo had been expecting his sister's retaliation, so was prepared for it when she came at him. He easily rolled them over, putting him on top to pin Kini; however, Kini had studied Pool and Sust whenever they wrestled (which was fairly often when they were trying to impress her) and pulled one of Sust's favorite tricks on her brother. Before Merlo was balanced enough to settle into place, she swiftly pulled her knee up, jabbing Merlo sharply in the stomach and taking him off guard so she could sling herself into the position of power. Merlo's stomach burned from the jab, but he was still aware of what his sister was doing and wasn't about to let her win, not this time. Just as Kini was almost in the dominant position, he flipped them over, releasing his sister to get on his feet again. His advantage didn't last long before Kini knocked them before to the ground a second time for a nastier wrestling match that involved much more hair pulling and scratching than those between Sust and Pool ever did.

They must have been making more noise than they were aware of because suddenly hands were grabbing them, pulling them apart, and the Sun Villagers were panting hard by the time Ember had enough space to stand between the two of them. Teir and Scouter held Merlo still while Dewshine and Krim kept Kini in line; all were baffled by the ragged appearance of the Sun Villagers. Merlo had twin sets of scratches on both of his cheeks that were slowly dribbling blood and his gold circlet had been lost in the dust. Kini's regular ponytail dangled out of its usual position on the top of her head, hanging like a dying branch on a tree.

The Chieftess regarded the newest members of the Wild Hunt with a fierce glare that commanded their complete attention. However, for once Merlo and Kini seemed impervious to her glower as they kept their eyes locked in a now silent battle of wills.

_What is going on? _the Wolfrider Chieftess demanded, her sending cutting through to Merlo and Kini keenly. _Well?_ Brother and sister started talking at once and Ember silenced them instantly with, _QUIET!_

Teir tightened his firm grip on Merlo's shoulders, bringing the young elf back a step to give Ember some room to breathe. She was glad for it because she knew that she was going to need a clear head to figure out her next step. Taking a deep breath, Ember pointed a finger at the two Sun Villagers.

"Get to your dens now. And don't come out until I say so."

"You're grounding us?" Kini asked incredulously.

"Ember, that's not fair."

Thoroughly frustrated with the younger elves, Ember's hands shot out like snakes striking to latch onto Merlo and Kini's ears. The pair cry out more in shock than pain and continued to complain as she led them to where their dens were located, right next to each other. "To your dens, now!" She released them and gave each a push in the direction of their den.

"But---" 

"Ember---" 

_Get in there_, she ordered in a mental tone that said she would brook no further attempts of fighting her decision.

Startled by Ember's genuine anger, Kini and Merlo scurried into their dens without another word; their posture while doing so perfect mimicry of how lower wolves addressed a leader they knew wasn't pleased with them. Ember couldn't wonder off handedly if Kini and Merlo were even aware of that; however, she was almost positive that they didn't.

Tier walked up beside Ember, placing a hand delicately on her tense shoulder. _Beloved?_

_I'll give them some time to cool off,_ she explained to her lifemate, keeping her sending open to the rest of the tribe. _Then I'll talk to them._

Scouter stepped forward, looking tired from his morning watch. Even though he was scheduled for some sleep to make up for his time spent on guard, he was already angling his stride towards the hole that Merlo had escaped to as he asked, "Ember, maybe I should---"

The Wolfrider cut off her scout with a sharp chop of her hand, impeding his movement towards Merlo's den. "No, Scouter. I will handle this." Sensing the Wolfrider scout's unease, Ember gave him a firm clap on the shoulder. "Get some sleep. Tyleet will watch over them until we get back from the hunt."

---------------------------------------------------

Hours later, Kini still remained crying as she laid in her pile of furs (donated by Mender, so Sust and Pool wouldn't fight over whose she kept), face buried against her arms as she struggled with the idea that they were going to be sent home. No, Ember hadn't said it in so many words, but her reaction to the fight between her and Merlo was obvious. It was bad enough that the tribe believed the two of them to be useless, now they were troublemakers, too.

There was a quiet knock on the side of the doorway and Kini lifted her head to wipe away her tears and regard whoever was visiting her. She stunned to see Ember crouched at the entrance of her den, looking much calmer than she had after the fight, and her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized that Ember must have come to tell her the bad news.

"Kini?" Ember asked after a long moment of Kini just starin at her like she was afraid that the Wolfrider Chieftess was going to eat her. 

"Y-Yes, Ch-Chieftess," Kini stammered, pulling herself from her worries to face the reality of the situation. She hadn't thought that Ember would be able to stomach looking at her after what she'd done; she'd partially expected Tyleet to be the one who would inform them of their banishment to the Palace. Feeling very embarrassed over her tears, Kini scrubbed at her eyes as she scrambled to tidy up her den. She certainly hadn't expected company that day, so things were messier than usual. Tossing things into small corners and dusting off messy furs, she apologized over and over for the state of her den. 

Ember wanted to chuckled at Kini's eagerness to please--- she was glad to see that the Sun Villager wasn't just going to pout over her punishment ---but she didn't allow her amusement to show. Kini was still being punished after all; however, soon Ember grew tired of Kini's groveling and she grabbed the other female by the upper arms, stopping her from scrambling about the den. "Ease up, Kini. I'm not angry with you right now. I just want to talk."

Kini grinned sheepishly, brushing away the lock of hair that partially hid her left eye; it fell back into place immediately. "Sorry, Chieftess."

Without Kini's abrupt movement to distract her, Ember was able to just take a good, long look at Kini's den. That evening, Teir had suggested that Ember should get to know the Sun Villagers better, observe the activities they enjoyed and try to tie it to some job to be done within the pack in order to help them find their place. Ember had been planning on doing just that after the hunt where they'd all have full bellies and would be more likely to talk, until Kini and Merlo had gotten into a tumble like a pair of territorial wolves. Now she was going to have to be less subtle about her studying, looking for clues to a possible path for Kini in her belongings, before she just gave up on their pair all together, or they killed each other. 

Inside Kini's den was set up just like the others, though smaller because she was the only one occupying it. On the ground and walls were the typical elven keepings, her dagger, some clothing, sleeping furs, and...something else that caught Ember's eye. All around there were piles of strange bright colored string like some beast had walked through the den shedding them. A pair of metal spikes sat precariously near the pile of furs that constituted Kini's bed, entwined in a batch of the string.

"What's this?" Ember asked calmly, picking up a section of one of the piles of red to discover that it was string. The texture was soft, but not silky. Stray strands of the string spilled out here and there like wild grass, yet didn't itch like grass could. It was almost like hair, but more…animalistic. However, Ember had yet to meet an animal with this type of fur.

"It's a zwoot hair," Kini stated softly.

"This doesn't feel like any zwoot I ever petted, and I grew up in the Sun Village." Ember placed some string between two of her fingers and rubbed it experimentally, enjoying the texture.

"It's been treated by a mixture I made to make it more…" Kini trailed off looking very embarrassed as she realized that she'd almost started babbling about her yarn making process. "I made it myself," she forced herself to conclude. The elder Sun Folk used to get irritated when she did that; only clothes makers were ever interested in that sort of thing, and Ember wasn't one.

However, Ember wasn't put off by Kini's talk; in fact, she was rather curious. Kini had never spoken about being a seamstress before and, although they already had Tyleet as their tanner, Kini's style of clothes-making was interesting. It couldn't hurt to have more than one elf responsible for their clothing. "What do you use it for?" 

"I knit...make clothes, mostly things for the white cold."

Ember lifted a brow at Kini incredulously as she entangled the string around her fingers. "The Sun Village doesn't have a white cold." 

"I didn't grow up in the Sun Village; I lived in the Palace where Cutter's tribe stayed, where white colds were seasonal. Mother wouldn't even think about letting me outside if I wasn't bundled up properly, but nothing I made was appropriate enough for her. So I got angry and, accidentally kicked some Moonshade's treatment leftover from her tanning onto my collection of zwoot hair and, well, I thought it would be ruined, but it…it just worked." She couldn't help a quiet chuckle at the memory. "A lot better than I ever dreamed it would."

"Sometimes things that appear to happen by accident, have a special purpose hidden behind them." Ember placed the string she'd been playing with back where she'd gotten it from and started to casually pace around the den. She couldn't stop herself from chewing on her knuckle as she thought out her next move. "Have you made anything recently?"

"Yes." Kini scurried over to her furs and dug out a soft looking brown colored coat. There was no fur trimming it like there was on Go-Back clothing; however, it looked just as warm. The Sun Villager presented the coat to her Chieftess, watching eagerly like a cub waiting for praise on a project they'd put a lot of pride in, and leaned casually against the wall across from her. "I made it for Tyleet, to thank her for being so nice to me and Merlo. I guess I forgot to give it to her."

Ember studied the clothing with as critical an eye as she could. She wasn't a tanner like Moonshade and Tyleet--- when it came to the process of making leathers for clothing, Ember didn't honestly know much ---but even she could tell that the treated zwoot hair was strong, yet not harsh against the skin. An elf wearing this coat in white cold would be perfectly warm without loosing a lot of mobility as they did when they wore Go-Back styled coats. It was a fine piece of work. A smile spread widely across Ember's face as she realized what the best place for Kini would be.

"This is good work."

Kini bowed her head lowly, a proud blush rising over her dark cheeks over Ember's small praise. "Thank you, Chieftess."

With a sly smile, Ember coyly inquired, "Could you make more?" 

"More?" 

"More coats, like this. One for each of us during white cold."

"Yes! Yes, of course." Kini jumped to her feet, looking as if she were suddenly full of nervous energy.

"Can you make more than just coats?"

"Yes. I can make foot coverings and hats and gloves and...."

"Enough for the whole tribe?"

Kini looked at Ember with tears gleaming with unshed tears. "You mean, you're not going to send us back to the Palace?"

"No, I'm not." Ember approached the Sun Villager and placed her hands firmly on each shoulder, looking Kini right in the eyes. "You're place is here, Kini--- and Merlo's place as well ---with us." 

"Really?" Tears fell from Kini's violet eyes when Ember nodded wordlessly. "Oh, Chieftess! I promise I finish every last one of them. With gloves to match and snow caps and..." As if she could no longer contain herself, Kini jumped the Wolfrider, arms clamping tightly around her neck and she hugged her tightly. "Thank you!"

Ember returned the hug, then placed a hand on her head. "It might take a while for you to find out just where you fit in the Hunt, Kini, but you will find it."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah." Still smiling, Ember leveled Kini a scolding look. "Though you'll have to stop fighting with Merlo every chance you get."

Kini flush with embarrassment this time and hung her head guiltily. "Yes, Chieftess."

"Ember," the Wolfrider corrected Kini gently but firmly. "My name is Ember, Kini, not just Chieftess."

With a shy smile, Kini looked up at Ember with a roll of her eyes without lifting her head. "Yes, Ember."

---------------------------------------------------

When she'd finally gotten Kini to believe that she really wasn't dreaming and that everything she'd said was true, Ember moved on to Merlo's den. The moon was just starting to reach its peak and the Wolfrider realized with some frustration that she was going to miss the hunt. It was a good thing that she'd sent Pike and Krim to lead the hunt without her. Coming up to Merlo's den, she strained her eyes for any sound and was confused when she didn't hear anything. 

"Merlo," she called as she entered. There was no answer. "Merlo?"

As she ventured further into the den, Ember picked up the faint sound of quiet, steady breathing and Merlo in his sleeping furs, curled up like a newborn wolf cub at its mother's side fast asleep. Stepping carefully (Merlo's den was messier than Kini's with all sorts of rocks and leaves and sticks thrown haphazardly around), Ember approached the sleeping figure, catching sight of the bright bead collar he always wore leaning carelessly against the wall near the Sun Villager's head, and crouched down beside it. She shook her head in partly in exasperating partly in fondness as she realized just how young Merlo looked while he slept; age wasn't a thing that typically meant much to elves, yet Ember found herself wondering just how old Merlo really was.

As gentle as a summer breeze, she reached out a hand and stroked his long black hair, still wild from his tussle. Merlo stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. "Silly little cub. What am I going to do with you?"

"Ember?" Teir popped his head in Merlo's den and Ember immediately "shh'ed" him, gesturing at the sleeping elf. Moving with elven grace, Teir slid into the room and tip-toed his way to his lifemate.

"He fell asleep," Ember explained when Teir made his way to her.

"He was stayed up with Scouter this morning on watch even though he knew we'd planned for a night routine," Teir replied with a knowing nod. "I doubt he got more than four hours of sleep. Which is probably part of the reason he started fighting with Kini in the first place."

Ember shook her head, still stroking Merlo's hair. "No, Kini started that fight." Silently the pair just watched over the sleeping youngster, then Teir felt the familiar touch of Ember's private sending. _It's going to be harder finding Merlo's place. Kini already had a skill from her days in the Palace._

_We'll find him one_, Teir assured her. _Maybe we should just let him sleep, then send Scouter in._

_No, I'll wait here until he wakes up. _Ember settled down into the furs surrounding Merlo, curling around the younger elf.

Shaking his head at the way his lifemate so quickly changed moods--- she was so angry with the pair what felt like only minutes ago ---and catching the quietly longing in her eyes as she cuddled Merlo, Teir sighed in quiet defeat. Without disturbing either elf, he climbed into the furs behind Ember to wrap one arm around her waist and placed the other upon Merlo's head. _We'll wait until he wakes._

To be continued…


	5. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Merlo was quite embarrassed when he woke up with his tribe leaders curled up in his sleeping furs with him; he'd slept with his parents like that when he was a kitling (and probably a few years passed that), but Teir and Ember were hardly his parents. It'd taken a good eight minutes before he'd stopped blushing enough for some of the blood in his face to retreat to his brain where he needed it to make his apologies come out coherently. Ember had almost laughed at his reaction, but kept herself composed enough to assure Merlo that she wasn't angry with him about the fight; laughing at him would only cause the young elf even more discomfort.

"You can leave your den, if you want," she told him and added with a knowing smile, "Just as long as you don't into any more trouble, all right?"

"Y-Yes, Ember," Merlo stuttered, cheeks slowly losing their embarrassed color. Inching his way out of the den, he thanked Ember for her leniency before he made it to the entrance and took off, undoubtedly to find Scouter.

Ember couldn't help but wonder what the young elf would do once he realized that the Wolfrider scout was most likely sleeping in his den with his lifemates.

Exiting the Sun Villager's den, Teir held out a hand over his eyes to block out the sharp glare of the morning sun. It'll be a bright day today with the sun out this early. It'd probably be better to stick to a daytime schedule with high sun sleep, then evening activities. Teir looked to his lifemate at his side, watching as she took her own assessment of the current conditions.

That should be good, Ember confirmed at length, stretching her slightly cramped muscles. Merlo's furs were definitely not made to hold three. But there's still some time before we should wake anyone, and I could use a little more sleep.

Hands wrapped around Ember's waist and Teir pulled her in tightly against his body. Sleep, beloved?

A sneaky smile curled the Wolfrider Chieftess' lips and she turned in her lifemate's arms to tap her finger against his lips teasingly. I suppose I could be talked into doing something else.

Kini was humming excitedly as she pulled out the rest of her collection of zwoot yarn and settled beside Tyleet who was tending her newest batch of hides. The red haired Wolfrider watched her companion out of the corner of her eye, surprised and curious about the Sun Villager's good mood, and pleased to see Kini happy to be left behind for once. Merlo, who sat before Tyleet, watching the tanner work her hides, also enjoyed the lift in his sister's spirits, amused smile tugging the upper corners of his lips constantly. Catching Tyleet's eyes, he got up and circled around Kini with only slightly more stealth than usual.

"Decided to take up that hobby I suggested?" Merlo asked, settling beside his sister's pile of zwoot yarn. Automatically he started to straighten out the tangled string for his sister's use, just as he used to back in the Palace.

Kini smiled as her brother so quickly fell into their former routine. "No, I'm doing my part as a member of this tribe."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Proudly Kini lifted her head and beamed as she stated, "I'm going to be responsible for the tribe's white cold coverings. Plus, I'm going to be experimenting once I'm done to make something wearable in the other seasons, too. That way I'll be able to help out all year long."

Merlo chuckled at the enthusiasm in his sister's voice. "Didn't take so long to settle in after all, did it?"

Kini didn't reply, but instead held out a partial front shirt to her brother as if trying to estimate his body size. "I think this color will look good on you."

Merlo appraised the contrast of white against his dark skin and nodded in approval. "I think so to."

"And it'll help you hide better in the white cold."

Merlo's amusement faded at Kini's future plans and he laid down the mass of yarn to hug his knees. "Of course, that's assuming I'm even here for the white cold."

Kini laughed cheerfully as she brought out his metal needles to start her knitting. "Don't worry about it, dreamy head. Ember promised that she wouldn't send either of us back to the Palace. We're part of this tribe now."

The look on Merlo's face was still dubious, but he knew better than to refute Kini's proclamation; it'd only work to break her good mood, which he didn't want to happen. It was easy for Kini to believe so full-heartedly in Ember's promise of keeping them. After all, Eber had found her a job in the tribe, a way to contribute, even if it were only for a season out of the year. He on the other hand…

"Hey, Merlo." Mender came up behind the Sun Villager, clamping a hand onto his shoulder. Merlo jumped a little surprise, then tried to ignore the blush that his shame of being taken so easily off guard brought. The elven healer didn't even think to mention it and continued cordially, "Ember's sending me to do some early trading with Drub and Flam for some metal arrow heads. Want to come along?"

"Uh…" Merlo looked over at Kini and Tyleet, who were already conversing about Kini's new material like sisters sharing a secret. He knew that if he stuck around, he'd feel like the odd elf out all day. "Sure, okay."

"Great." Mender led Merlo away from the girls, catching Kini's eyes and winking at the female Sun Villager charmingly. Kini giggled and turned back to Tyleet without giving her brother another thought; she knew that Mender would look after him.

When Ember had asked him to take Merlo with him to visit the trolls, Mender hadn't believed that the quiet Sun Villager would have agreed to come. Merlo barely seemed comfortable with anyone other than Scouter and his sister, and maybe Scouter's lifemates (whom he seemed to enjoy being with, but tended to blush whenever he was around them). However, Ember had been right that Merlo had an eagerness to bond with his all of his tribemates, which would override the young elf's timidity. He just hoped that eagerness held up after he met Mender's wolf-friend, not a dangerous wolf but rather one of the more energetic and spirited members of the pack.

Standing at the bottom of Howling Rock with packs of items for bartering slung onto both shoulders, the healer elf whistled sharply and the next instant his newest wolf-friend, Growler, came running eagerly over. Merlo's eyes grew large as the wolf approached them, making the oddest growling noises; he couldn't tell if the wolf was happy to see them or angry at being called away from whatever he was previously doing. However, Mender simply laughed at his wolf-friend, giving him a firm scratch behind the ears before stepping to the side to let Growler see Merlo.

"C'mon, Merlo. Say hello. Growler won't bite."

"O…kay…" Fearfully Merlo reached out a shaking hand, fingertips barely touching the wolf's head before retracting. The wolf continued making its growling noises and Mender laughed affectionately.

"Don't worry. Growler always makes that noise, especially when he's happy. Trying to purr like that Stubtail that hangs around Sust, huh, you rabbit-snatcher?" The wolf licked Mender's cheek playfully and the Wolfrider let him slobbering on him for a few moments before shoving him away. "Merlo say hello to Growler."

"He-Hello…G-G-Growler," Merlo greeted the wolf cautiously, feeling his brain go numb as the wolf strolled up to him. He squeaked in terror as the wolf reared up and placed his front paws on Merlo's shoulders. "What's he doing?" The Sun Villager was nearly brought down immediately when the wolf placed so much of his weight upon him, but he managed to keep to his feet. However, Growler kept his paws in place also, clawing Merlo's shoulders to keep his balance. "Mender!"

"No, no, you stupid fuzz brain," Mender scolded his wolf-friend as dumped his supply pack to roughly push Growler away from the other elf. "He's not-" Merlo gasped in pain as sharp wolf claws opened large new wounds on his shoulders as the wolf was moved. Mender was all too aware of the injury, but had to hold off seeing to the Sun Villager to explain Merlo to his wolf. When he'd sufficiently calmed his wolf-friend, he turned his attention back to Merlo.

"Did I do s-something…wrong?" Merlo half-sobbed, clutching his bleeding shoulders and trembling with fear. He looked at Mender with his violet eyes lost and confused by the recent events.

Mender didn't answer right away; the smell of blood and fear would draw the others of the pack if he didn't hurry. "Here, let me take care of those cuts." Magic flowed from Mender's hands to the wounds, soothing the stinging pain and closing them within seconds. "No, Merlo, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that Growler's second-chief of the pack and takes his duties very seriously."

"His duties?" The Sun Villager couldn't keep the squeak of panic out of his voice, and the slight croak of tears.

"If the Chief wolf isn't around, his second looks after the pack, especially against strangers. Most of the time, wolves will challenge newcomers by placing their paws on their shoulders, to test if they're weaklings or a threat."

"Oh." Merlo touched his shoulder, skin tingling from the use of Mender's magic, and tried to smile. "Well, that's okay. I'm fine now."

Mender knew that the Sun Villager wasn't, but to point that out would only cause more problems, so he chose to let the lie slide and turned his attention to strapping on the supply packs to the sides of his wolf. "Well, Growler will let you ride him now without any problems. So let's get going, huh?" With practiced ease, the blond elf climbed onto the back of the large wolf.

"R-Right," Merlo mumbled, accepting the hand Mender held out to help him mount the wolf's back. Mender had to practically bear all of Merlo's weight to pull him onboard and quietly hoped the Sun Villager didn't dislocate anything in the process. After several rough tugs and pulling of wolf hair, Merlo managed to get astride the beast and clung like a newborn treewee. However, it was uncomfortable for the former Palace dweller to sit upon Growler's back; he just couldn't get used to the feeling of the beast's muscles moving underneath him, constantly shifting the comfort level of his seating. Unfortunately, Merlo was convinced that if he were to attempt to readjust himself into a more tolerable position, he would fall off the wolf.

"Here, sit like this." Mender physically moved the Sun Villager more towards the center of his wolf's body, helping him find the correct way to ride, which would take the strain of manually trying to balance his two riders and the packs from Growler. Even though Merlo refused to release the hold he had on Growler throughout Mender's repositioning- thus yanking on the wolf's fur harshly -the wolf didn't even blink an eye. He merely stood, patiently waiting for Merlo and Mender to finish preparing themselves to start their journey.

Merlo chuckled dryly at his own awkwardness dealing with the wolf in an attempt to keep himself from feeling too embarrassed. "Well, I guess it's safe to say Growler didn't find me to be a threat after his challenge."

"No," Mender said off handedly, finally decided that Merlo was balanced enough to them to start moving. He gave Growler the signal to start and the wolf headed off in the familiar direction of the trolls' hidden caves. "I told him you were a cub of our tribe. Cubs of the tribe don't get challenged, strangers or not."

For some reason, this answer didn't settle well with Merlo and he couldn't help but pout as he said, "I'm not a cub, Mender."

The healer elf was a little surprised by the seriousness in Merlo' tone, but shrugged all the same. "It's better that Growler doesn't need to know that. If he thinks you're a cub, he'll leave you alone, and make sure that the others in the pack do, too."

Merlo's anger faded slightly as his curiosity rose. "Really?"

Mender grinned at the disbelief in the Sun Villager's voice. "Wolves care about their cubs just like we do, Merlo. And they treat our cubs like their own."

"Wow," Merlo whispered in awe, then Growler made a sharp turn and the male Sun Villager clutched the wolf's sides with his arms and legs automatically. Mender couldn't help but laugh at the other elf's awkwardness, though he hoped Merlo didn't take his laughter too seriously, and placed his arms on either side of his companion to help steady him on Growler's back.

"Hold on, Merlo. Just an hour more riding to go."

Kini was humming under her breath as she worked her knitting needles. It was a working song- as her mother had called the tune -that always remained her of home in the Sun Village where she would play in her mother's lap watching her father tend their garden. She'd only spent a year or so of her life in the Sun Village, but her memories of her time there were striking clear, especially when it came to the times she had spent with her mother and father. Just thinking about her parents made something inside Kini's chest tightened and her song waived for a second before she recovered herself. Yes, she was feeling a touch of homesickness, but the female Sun Villager was determined that she was not going to look back; she'd chosen to live with the Wild Hunt.

"Those look interesting."

Kini yelped in surprise as a voice spoke close to her ear and she had to pant for a few seconds before she was calm enough to recognize the elf who'd spoken. "Sust, must you always sneak up on me?"

"Oh course," the male answered with an irresistible smile as he sat beside Kini. "How else would I get the chance to talk to you without Pool around?"

"And why is it so important that Pool not be around?"

A mischievous smile inherited by his father graced Sust's face as he leaned in and whispered in Kini's ear, "So I can get you all to myself."

The Sun Villager giggled childishly and gave the other elf an impish smile that could have meant a dozen things and nothing. She leaned closer to him, bringing their lips an inch apart and reached over around him. "Well, since you do have me all to yourself…be useful." From behind Sust, she grabbed her pile of yarn and placed it in his lap as she sat back up. "I need you to untangle my lead string while I knit."

Sust stared at the female in disbelief, stunned by the change in their conversation and how he'd been saddled with such an odd job. However, unable to think of an excuse that wouldn't make him look like a jackass in front of the female he wanted to impress, he did as she told him. Kini couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on Sust's face and gave him a smile in thanks for his indulgence towards her. That smile was enough to awaken Sust out of his momentary funk and he practically swelled with pride being Kini's assistant in her knitting. Even if Kini just had him working beside her, at least the female was giving him attention; attention that she wasn't giving to Pool.

"Whatcha making?" he asked at length. Honestly he didn't have much practice talking to girls; all of the females in his tribe were already lifemated, except for Yun, who didn't typically hesitate to state exactly what she wanted. Oh, she played the regular games, but was never so…unreadable as Kini.

Unaware of Sust's internal musings, Kini lifted her work to show him what she'd done so far. "I'm making coats for the white cold, see? This one will be for Merlo. I just started it and want to get it done before the week's over."

"Can you do it?"

"I'm really hoping I can. I'm dressing everyone in white, so it'll be easier for us to hide when it snows." She held out the half-finished coat against Sust for a moment. "You're larger than Merlo. I'll need more yarn for yours."

Sust puffed out his chest proudly as he said, "Of course I'm bigger. I'm a warrior."

"Oh, really?" Kini giggled and looked over her shoulder at Sust coyly. "I haven't seen you doing much fighting."

With the point of his tongue sitting out of the corner of his mouth, Sust focused on untangling the string Kini was using and off handedly commented, "That's only because there haven't been any humans around since Yun's human cub died. If there were any humans still around-"

Kini paused in her knitting to gape at Sust in puzzlement. "What's a human? And how in the world could Yun have one as a cub?"

"It's a long story," Sust shrugged.

"I love stories," Kini replied a matter of factly, scooting closer to the Go-Back. "Besides, I work better when I'm entertained."

Merlo was a trembling bundle of nerves by the time he and Mender made it to the troll's cave. When Mender eased him off of Growler back to the ground, he immediately fell, unable to hold himself up. He whimpered and moaned in pain as he tried to get his legs to obey him, but Mender ended up having to heal his weary and saddle sore muscles so they could conduct their business.

"I suppose it was a rather long ride for a first timer," Mender said in half apology as, with both supply pack slung over his shoulders, he absently searched for the dark tunnel that was the entrance to the trolls' inner sanctuary. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"I hope so," Merlo groaned, then looked over at the Wolfrider carrying his burden. "Do you want me to carry one of those?"

As if he hadn't heard Merlo's comment, Mender whispered to himself, "Here we are," when he found the hole and he only waved Merlo forward before venturing forth in the blackness of the cave.

Merlo hurried to catch up with Mender, clinging to his arm when he did, and looked around the darkness fearfully. "How will they know we're here?"

"This way." Mender cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Flam! It's me, Mender!"

After a few heartbeats of silence, a torch lit up the darkness and there stood Flam, beaming at the sight of his elf friend. Merlo squeaked in terror at the sight of the troll and fell flat on his rear trying to jump away. If he even noticed Merlo's reaction, Flam didn't get any outward sign; the troll threw a thick arm around Mender's shoulders.

"Hey there, wisp. Good thing you called out. I was ready to spring our defenses on you. Worked up a good one that would have even you elves hard pressed to escape."

Mender chuckled, smiling at his troll friend. "Like I would ever fall for a troll trap, gristle beard."

The troll guffawed in pure amusement, then reminded the elf, "It's happened before, wisp."

Flam started Mender down the hall and Mender off handedly gestured for Merlo to follow him. The Sun Villager still looked very afraid, but hurriedly scuttled after the pair. The last thing he wanted was to get lost in the dark tunnels.

"Wasn't expecting to see you so early, wisp" the dark bearded troll continued, eyeing the packs that Mender wore. "White cold trading isn't supposed to start for months now."

"Yes, but hunting's been good for us, so good that we're in need of some more arrow heads sooner than we thought we would be."

Flam licked his thick lips hungrily, taking a deep whiff of the contents of the sacks, and stated, "That mean's there'll be plenty of meat to barter."

"And nuts and berries, not to mention warm furs later. As long as you cave diggers have kept up with our request load."

Flam laughed loudly and slapped Mender heavily on the back, nearly knocking the elf off his feet. "You mean that tiny little thing? We've finished it already. Didn't take more than a moon cycle."

The heat of the trolls' metal workings hit Merlo right in the face and he gasped at the sudden rise in temperature that the forging fires created. His hands scrambled to get a grip on Mender's sleeve and the Sun Villager clung to the healer again as he tried to comprehend his surroundings. Dozens of trolls were working at the moment, creating sparks and smoke as they hammered pieces of tough metal into blades and sheets and all sorts of things. The sound of metal striking metal rang in his ears and head, causing it to ache like nothing he'd felt before.

"Mender…" he groaned.

The healer stopped and considered the young elf, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Merlo, what's wrong?"

"The heat, the smell, the noise…" Merlo's nose curled in disgust and he clamped his hands over his pointed ears as he tried to sort things out in his head.

"Huh? Who's the mump? What's wrong with him?" Flam acknowledged Merlo for the first time and cocked his head to the side to regard the newcomer.

"It's all right, Merlo," Mender whispered to the other elf, ignoring Flam's questions for the moment. "It's just trolls. You'll get used to it. Give it some time…" He stroked Merlo's back, soothing the little things he could with his healing power until the former Palace Dweller no longer looked like he was going to faint on his feet. "Flam, this is Merlo. He joined our pack a moon cycle ago."

"One of those dark skinned elves, huh? Weak stock by the looks of it," Flam sneered with a grin, hoping that Mender would take his bait for an argument. However, the healer was too busy with Merlo to take notice of Flam's insult, so the troll straightened himself and started off again. "This way, wisp."

Mender took Merlo's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "It's all right, Merlo. Meeting trolls for the first time can be a little daunting. We won't be here much longer." Merlo didn't say anything as Mender pulled him along and that worried the Wolfrider. He hadn't expected Merlo to have such a bad reaction to trolls, but then again, Merlo had been born in the Palace, grew up there, without ever even seeing a troll before. No doubt that, even without Wolfrider senses, such a new experience would be a somewhat harsh surprise. However, it still bothered the healer.

"Here we go," Flam announced as they stopped away from the fires to a room where dozens of weapons and items hung on the walls. He pulled out a basket that was filled with metal arrowheads, just ready and waiting to be placed on a proper shaft. "Now, what have you got in those sacks that's worth this craftsmanship, eh, elf?"

Mender released Merlo, placing him in a corner, and turned to inspect the metal objects. Hiding his pleasure with the weapons, Mender started their bargaining, knowing that Flam would be a worthy opponent. Still slightly dizzy from his initial encounter with the troll world, Merlo slid away from the protective spot he'd been settled on and wandered over to where one of the other grisly bearded trolls worked twisting long pieces of thick metal strands. Beside the male troll stood a young female who glowered down upon him fiercely as she threatened and complained about the worker.

"Careful with that, muck-nose," she screeched. "That's for my boodle-chest."

"Yes, Princess Trinket," the troll growled humbly, though it was clear from the look in his small brown eyes that he wasn't pleased saying such words.

Curious, Merlo strolled over to the pair and stood on his tiptoes to look over the worker's shoulder to see what he was doing. "What are you making?"

The male troll gave a startled shout, halting his hammer just a hairsbreadth above his thumb. Trinket whirled on the stranger, scowling darkly, and her large mouth, which was normally shaped in a pout, opened to yell at whoever had the nerve to sneak up on her, but her words didn't come out when she saw who the offender was. Merlo's eyes were wide with wonder as he stared at the female troll, stunned by how different, yet alike, she was from the male workers.

"Who are you?" Trinket demanded, leaning in to get a better look at the Sun Villager.

"Our newest packmate." Out of nowhere, Mender appeared again, taking Merlo under his wing as he moved forward to address the she-troll. Fortunately, Trinket's crush on the healer remained intact, despite several bad incidents that gotten her temper up, and she was much sweeter when he noticed her. At a time, Mender used to feel unease using the troll's affections to manipulate her, but when it came to keeping his tribe safe, he believed that, as long as not harm was done, it was for the greater good. "Cub, meet Trinket, Princess of this underground kingdom."

Merlo took his cue from Mender and bowed lowly to the female troll, hoping that he hadn't done anything Mender would have to smooth over later. Trinket enjoyed the way the elves were treating her, much like the way royalty like herself should be treated, though most of her subjects were too under Drub's influence to ever realize it. Seeing how caught up with his flattery Trinket now was, Mender took the opportunity to move Merlo back, keeping Trinket's attention on himself. However, the Sun Villager continued to look over Mender's shoulder, trying to see what the troll worker was doing since his question hadn't been answered.

"By the Palace!" Merlo suddenly cried out and shot out from behind Mender, shoving pass Trinket, to gape at the worker he'd just interrupted. "I can't believe it!" He looked over his shoulder at Mender, totally unaware of the anger building in the offended troll maiden. "A harp, Mender! The troll is making a harp!"

Mender didn't know the foreign word, nor why seeing such a thing would excite Merlo so greatly; however, before he could try to calm the young cub, Trinket shouted, "Oh, no you don't. Get away from that! That's for my boodle-chest!"

As if he didn't hear her, Merlo proceeded to exclaim, "A real harp, Mender. I haven't seen one of these since the Palace. How did you make this?" Merlo asked the troll worker who just gaped at him, not sure what he should say. Clearly if he humored the elf's interest, he'd get it from Trinket, and no troll (save perhaps the siblings Drub and Flam) ever wanted to be on the receiving end of one of her tantrums.

"That?" Flam barked, joining the group while munching on a bit of fruit, no doubt obtained during his trade with Mender. "It's just a toy, mump. Found one in the garbage the humans tossed downstream and Trinket decided she had to have one. She nearly chewed Mugwart's nose off before he agreed to make."

Trinket glowered at the black bearded troll, but instead of starting an argument with the older troll, focused her indignation on the Sun Villager who was still enraptured with his discovery. "I said, get away, you-"

"Trinket, maybe we could...trade for the harp," Mender suggested smoothly. "Maybe for something much more befitting a princess such as yourself."

"Like what?" Trinket asked suspiciously.

Flam's eyes also lit up with intrigue, curious as to what the Wolfrider could possibly have that would make Trinket willing to part with the thing she'd been complaining to be made for weeks. In truth, not even Mender was sure just what he could offer in trade. He'd just wanted to keep Trinket from harming Merlo in a burst of temper. He couldn't think of a thing he carried that would distract the troll maiden from her precious toy. Fortunately, Merlo stepped forward, digging into the pouch that Mender hadn't even realized he'd been wearing the entire trip.

"How about this?" From the pouch, Merlo produced a gleaming sapphire stone about the size of his fist set in a golden frame shaped like the sun. It was obvious that the stone was meant to be wore around the neck, though it borne no chain or string. On a troll, it would probably make a more fitting hair decoration, though considering who they were bartering with, that was more in their favor.

Trinket was instantly captivated by the jewel and reached out to snatch it, but Merlo pulled his hand back, scowling- though it looked more like a pout -and shook his head.

"Hey!" the troll maiden snarled. "Give that to me! I want it!"

"Do we have a trade, princess?" Mender inquired on Merlo's behalf. "The jewel for your harp?"

"Yes, yes," Trinket muttered. She turned to the troll who'd just finished cooling his creation and said grumpily, "Give that to the mump."

"But your highness-"

A foot smashed down on the worker's foot and Trinket's voice grew shrill as she yelled, "I said give it to him! I want that stone!"

Barely holding in his whimpers of pain, the troll forger handed the harp over to Merlo who immediately passed on his treasure to Trinket. The troll maiden clutched her newly obtained valuable for a moment before happily placing it in her hair, approving of how easily it fit in her mass of curls. Without giving anyone a second look, the princess ran out of the metal workings to find a pool to examine and admire her new beauty. Like the troll maiden, Merlo seemed to be in a state of euphoria, holding his harp to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world of two moons. Mender and Flam shared a weary sigh and said their brusque good-byes before going their separate ways. The healing Wolfrider knew his way out of the trolls' caves and, with him so preoccupied, Merlo was led away without any trouble.

"You did what!"

Scouter's furious shout startled all of the pack gathered around Howling Rock, causing them to stop in the middle of their nightly activities. Kini, who'd moved towards the fire to better work on her yarn during the dark night, dropped her knitting needles in surprise. Sust's hands sank into his lap as he refocused his attention to listening for more of the outburst. Detangling himself from Kini's yarn, the Go-Back youth carefully moved from his spot lower on the hill and crawled towards the other side where Scouter had confronted Ember before the nightly hunt. Just as curious as her companion, Kini put down the coat, careful to be sure not to stain the white yarn, and made her way over to Sust's side. She was too noisy to sneak up on Sust, but fortunately those below didn't notice her arrival.

Ember sighed in frustration towards Scouter's predictable outburst at the news of Merlo's departure and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Scouter, calm down…"

"You sent Merlo with **Mender** to barter with the **trolls**!" Scouter's hands were waving about as if he were so angry, he didn't know what else to do with them. "Bearclaw's Beard, Ember, how could you? Merlo's never seen a troll before! I'd be surprised if he'd ever heard of them before."

"Then who better to make his first introduction than Mender?" Ember tried to sound reasonable instead of angry, but it was difficult. "He won't let any harm come to him, Scouter. Merlo's perfect fine…"

"How do we know that? He's never ridden a wolf before and you send him on one of the longest treks we make?"

Ember paused at this, crossing her arms around her waist. She hadn't honestly considered that point. Although a part of her was sure that Mender would ease away whatever pains Merlo accumulated from his first ride, she was angry at herself for not catching that problem herself; she was angrier than Scouter had to be the one who pointed it out in one of his overprotective tirades. She locked eyes with the Wolfrider scout, using her stronger will to overcome his rage.

"Scouter, Merlo…" Ember trailed off as a fair sound caught her ears and Scouter also dropped his scowl; his head cocked to the side, trying to capture more of the wondrous sound.

From their vantage point, Sust looked beyond the base of Howling Rock and spotted a lone figure on the plains. "Mender and Merlo are back," he called, though he couldn't honestly see the details of the figure. However, it was probably safe to assume who was coming home. When he received no answer to his declaration, Sust stood up and was about to shout down at his leader, but then the sound reached him as well.

In fact, the otherworldly music has reached all those at Howling Rock and they drifted over in the direction it was coming from. The entire pack was astounded when Growler came riding up to the base of the rocks with his elf-friend grinning like they'd just caught the biggest buck in the territory. Merlo sat before the healer, fingers flying gracefully and knowingly across tightly stretched strings, which produced the most beautiful sounds the Wolfriders had ever heard; his eyes were shut in concentration so that he was oblivious to the wonderment with which his fellow packmates stared at him. After a few more chords, the last two notes were allowed to ring out and fade into the night, and all together the Wild Hunt broke out of the spell.

Taking only a second or two to recover, a siege of questions, compliments, and exclamations were shot at Mender and the young Sun Villager. Merlo shrank away from all the noise, too stunned and confused about all the hubbub his playing had unknowingly caused. The only ones who appeared unaffected by Merlo's music were Teir and Kini, who ran through the crowd to greet her brother.

"Merlo, where under the two moons did you find a harp?" she half asked, half scolded fondly. With a smile, Merlo handed his sister his instrument for her inspection. "You left yours in the Palace."

"The trolls were making it and, well, I traded father's gift…" Merlo trailed off, staring at the ground shamefully.

"It'll be worth it," Kini assured him, touching her brother's shoulder gently.

"What did you call that thing?" Pike inquired, coming around Kini to get a look at the thing she held in her hands.

"A harp, a musical instrument," Kini explained.

"It's a little more difficult than the one I had," Merlo added as the others of the pack gathered around to see the device he'd bartered from the trolls. "A lot more strings and pitches, but I'm sure I'll get before when I use it more often."

"'Get better'? Your music is already enough to sooth the tribe with a single song," Teir stated simply, watching as Scouter ran his fingers over the metal rim of the harp. It'd been lucky that the two travelers had arrived when they did; there'd have been a pretty ugly fight brewing before Merlo's song had reached them.

Ember looked over the crowd to smile at Merlo, then gave a sly wink to Mender. "Looks like your trip to the trolls turned out better for you than we'd thought."

"A lot better." Mender had Growled lower himself onto his stomach so he could pulled Merlo off and tend to the sore muscles the ride had undoubtedly caused the young elf. A heartbeat later when Merlo was healed, he sent the male Sun Villager into the crowd to be greeted and praised by his pack while he took the arrowheads he'd gotten from Growler's back and handed them to his Chieftess' lifemate to be fetched into arrows.


	6. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Wolfriders awoke to the sound of harmonious strings being played as gentle as the dawning sun and for once there were no grumbling about sleep disturbed or rest that was missed. Pike hid a yawn behind his palm and squinted up where Merlo sat perched on the head of Howling Rock's wolf. Krim came up behind her lifemate and rested an arm around his waist as she followed his gaze.

"By the Great Ice Wall, Merlo," she called up, getting the young Sun Villager's attention and halting his playing. "Don't you ever get tired of playing that thing?" For once the Go-Back female was more amused than scolding and she couldn't resist a chuckle at Merlo's embarrassment.

"I…I like to play," Merlo murmured in weak reply, hugging his harp to his chest.

"And it shows," Pike commented with a wink, hoping to show the youngster that Krim was only playing with him. "You've only had that thing for an eight of days and you've mastered it."

This time Merlo blushed until his entire dark skinned face went beet red and he denied the title of master also too quietly for the other elves to catch as he absently strummed the strings, his notes still melodious in his nervousness. The two elders shared a bemused smile over the modesty and shyness of the former Palace Dweller, then, belting out another great yawn, the elder Wolfrider stretched his back until it popped. Krim shook her head at her lifemate and turned her attention to look around to see who else was up.

Kini had just crawled out of her den with a batch of white zwoot yarn and it was clear that she was looking around for Tyleet to sit with her while she worked. Pool and Sust appeared out from their respective dens and ran towards Kini, both eagerly offering to keep her company and hold her string. Since Sust had last snuck time with Kini alone, Pool had been trying his hardest to arrange a similar situation between himself and the Sun Village female. However, he'd been so far unsuccessful, thus the zeal he put into each "competition" between him and his agemate. Fortunately Kini was saved from having to turn down one of the boys- she didn't need two elves to help her -when Mender pulled the boys away to tend the meat they were smoking in preparation to save for the white cold. Ember watched the healer deal with the youths accordingly and shared a smile with Kini as she offered the female Sun Villager her help with the knitting much louder than he needed to.

The moment Scouter appeared outside of his den, Merlo jumped down from the wolf's head with much more grace than anyone would have believed he possessed and ran over, chattering about the song he'd played to wake everyone up. His blush from Pike's compliment completely faded away in his excitement of catching the Wolfrider scout. In a big brotherly manner, Scouter patted Merlo on the head, ruffling the obsidian locks affectionately, and looked over to Tyleet and Dewshine coming out of their den. The two females whispered something to each other and smiled coyly at the way Merlo tugged on Scouter's shirt, eager for the older Wolfrider to listen to the new song he'd just composed and already telling him how he'd come up with the idea for it. They giggled out loud at the amused by hardly attentive smile Scouter gave the Sun Villager as he spoke; while the Wolfrider could appreciate the beauty of music, the process of composing it held no interest to him. Before Merlo could even notice that Scouter wasn't responding to him, Yun wormed her arms around Merlo's waist, getting a squeal of fright from the younger elf.

"Yun!" Merlo cried indignantly, instinctively raising his harp out of Yun's reach. Fortunately, the last thing Yun was interested in was Merlo's harp.

"You make the cutest noises, Butterfly," the Go-Back female purred, not one bit ashamed for frightening Merlo. She pulled the Sun Villager closer and whispered in his ear something that made his blush return in full. Hastily he squirmed out of her grasp, nearly stumbling on his own feet, and backed away.

"I, uh, have something I've really gotta, you know, do right now, so, uh…bye!" Merlo took off in the direction Kini had disappeared to, most likely seeking refuge with his sister and Chieftess.

Yun sighed in frustration at her failed seduction and Scouter couldn't help but scowl at her. "Leave Merlo alone, Yun."

"Oh, Scouter, I'm just playing with him." She waved off Scouter's protectiveness and shifted her attention to where Mender- satisfied that Pool and Sust would carry out their assigned task without him watching over them -was now talking to Pike. "Butterfly seems like he'd be a sweet roll in the furs, and I mean to find out." A snarl curled Scouter's lips and he was about to say something when Yun fixed an appraising eye on him and added, "Unless you've already staked your claim." She smirked as she enjoyed watching the way Scouter's face flushed with anger.

"Enough," Dewshine warned, stepping in to separate the pair. She knew her lovemate; one more word from the Go-Back female and there'd be a fight. Reading Dewshine's unspoken request, Tyleet came over to Scouter's side, placing her hand on the crook of his elbow, and led him away from Yun to cool his temper. Once her lifemates were a good distance away, Dewshine turned back to Yun, leveling her with an even gaze. "Yun, you know how Scouter gets…"

"I know, Dewshine."

"Then you shouldn't provoke him so."

"Yeah, yeah." Yun waved Dewshine off, totally not concerned with the elder Wolfrider. Krim shouted for Yun and, without giving the Wolfrider another glance, she went after the Go-Back and her lifemate.

Merlo was just about to settle down beside Kini and her knitting when Teir approached him. "Not today, Merlo." He tossed a bow at the Sun Villager and was a little surprised when Merlo failed to catch it. "Today, we're training," he finished as Merlo scrambled for the weapon.

He held the bow in his hands and loss a degree of color in his face just thinking about having to use it. "But Teir…"

"Training, not hunting," Teir assured the younger elf with a clap on the shoulder. "I promise, we won't do any hunting."

Merlo still looked unconvinced and pale, but Ember added her enthusiasm towards the lesson, "Teir's one of the best teachers in the pack, Merlo. You're in good hands."

Kini smiled at her brother, mentally encouraging him to go with Teir. _Go with Teir. I bet it'll be fun, eh…Butterfly._

_Yeah, lots of fun_, the Sun Villager grumbled back, trying not to let Kini's benevolent teasing get a reaction out of him. Merlo remained uneasy, what had happened the last time he'd gone out alone with Teir resurfacing in his memory. Reluctantly he got to his feet and carefully considered the quiver of arrows his Chieftess' lifemate held out to him before taking it. Awkwardly the former Palace Dweller tried to shoulder the quiver, but Teir ended up helping him get it in proper position to get them going. Fortunately Teir didn't plan on going too far, so Merlo was saved from having to ride any of Teir's wolves, though several members of the pack followed after them.

Kini watched the pair depart with a chuckle. _If they're not going hunting, what will they be training for, Chie…Ember?_

_Tracking and marking game trails_, Ember answered, glad to hear the quiet concern that underlined Kini's amusement. It was good to see how the Sun Villager had so taken to heart their last conversation. Plus her instincts had been right; once she'd been given a way to participate within the tribe, Kini's bad moods had all but disappeared, making her much more pleasant company.

"Sounds easy enough, as long as my brother doesn't wander off and stumble into a rabbit hole." To distract herself from that unpleasant possibility, Kini went back to her knitting, humming her work tune to herself.

Merlo was finding it hard to concentrate on the small patch of forest like Teir had told him to. When the hunter had explained what they were going to be doing that morning, it'd seemed simple enough and almost fun even. They would watch a spot, find where the burrowing prey's den was, then shoot a flagged arrow into the ground above it, which would mark the den for the white cold when hunting was scarce. It was one of the new precautions Ember had developed in order to keep her tribe from starving during the hard season. Plus it helped to hone an archer's skills without unnecessary killing. However, as noble as that sounded, now that Teir had gone to scout for other spots to mark, Merlo found himself less able to focus on his appointed task. It felt like he'd been waiting for the rabbit that Teir had tracked to show its little head for days.

A soft wind blew and, if he were a Wolfrider, Merlo would have tasted the promise of rain in the air. As it was, Merlo simply reveling in the cool feeling of the wind brushing against his skin and playing with the loose hairs that refused to be contained by his typical pulled back style. He closed his eyes a moment to focus on that sensation, categorizing the feeling like he used back home during his trips outside the Palace to bring up later when he was bored of being cooped up in his small room. It was so strange how a simple thing like wind could seem so alien and extraordinary. He'd have to figure out some way to express this feeling of contentment into his next song…

The twang of an arrow firing close to his ear startled Merlo and he scrambled to the side to avoid being hit. It wasn't necessary; Teir was an excellent shot. The arrow flew swiftly and buried itself into the ground near a hole that Merlo hadn't even seen. "Your rabbit showed up more than eight heartbeats ago, and you would have never noticed it," the hunter scolded. "Your eyes were closed the whole time."

Merlo flushed with shame at being caught daydreaming and lowered his head subserviently in apology. He really couldn't come up with anything that could counter Teir's observation, so he murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Merlo…"

As Teir spoke, Merlo found himself losing concentration on the elder's words and his eyes wandered over Teir's head to where rain clouds gathered in the sky. A passing dragonfly passed his line of sight and he marveled at how fast its tiny wings flapped to keep it aloft. Then a butterfly came by- Merlo was almost positive it was the same one he'd seen the first day in the forest -traveling on the wind that had once again stirred up and Merlo couldn't help but smile at how the insect managed to propel itself passed the dragonfly.

**_Merlo!_**

"Ow!" The Sun Villager cried out, grabbed his head as Teir's sending woke him from his thoughts, and tears of pain instantly sprang to his eyes. He was no Go-Back when it came to sending, but Teir's mind had hurt upon contact. "Teir, that hurt!"

Teir was partly startled by the younger elf's declaration and started to apologize in automatic response, but he stopped himself and shook his head instead, crossing his arms over his chest. The sending couldn't have hurt that much; Merlo had grown up in the Palace after all, and his ability to send was fully developed. Maybe Teir had sent a little harder than usual, but this was the third time he'd had to set the marker for Merlo. He'd believed that the young elf would have been able to carry out that simple task at the very least. It was frustrating to say the least; even Teir found it difficult to carry out his lessons when his pupil was simply unable to retain or apply anything he taught him. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Merlo was ignoring him on purpose. However, that suspicion was crushed by the absolute look of shame upon the young elf's face. That look was more than even Teir could take.

"I was trying to get your attention," Teir half apologized in explanation, wrapping an arm around Merlo's shoulders.

"My attention isn't **that** hard to get," Merlo grumbled, rubbing his sore temples and chasing the last stars out of his eyes. Under his breath he added, "It's…just hard to keep."

The plainsborn elf sighed- he had to agree with Merlo's statement -and lead the Sun Villager back to where the wolves who'd accompanied them were relaxing. At their approach, the two younger wolves rushed to greet Teir, but the older ones remained laying down, totally not interested in the activities of the elves since it brought them no meat. Teir pushed one of the young wolves back with a laugh that quickly faded when he felt Merlo move behind him to hide from the wolves. Teir didn't understand how the other elf could still be so afraid of the wolves after having lived with them for this long; it wasn't as if anything beyond Growler's initial testing had happened. In fact, the wolves were very patient with Merlo, treating him with more gentleness than they showed even their own cubs.

Barely able to keep himself from sighing in exasperation, Teir picked up the grass mats they'd woven earlier for their dummy targets. "Maybe we should just stick to practicing your aim for the rest of the day."

It had felt like a defeat earlier that morning, accepting that Merlo wasn't made for tracking- a skill most gentle hearted Wolfriders seemed to share -but after he'd gotten himself lost for the fourth time, Teir had hoped that Merlo would take to simply setting trail markers on known paths. Now seeing that the Sun Villager wasn't meant for even that was disappointing. However, Teir was sure that if he continued to insist that the Sun Villager mark trails until he learned to do it on his own, he'd be wasting a lot of time and just end up as frustrated as he had been a few moments ago. Even the best warrior had to know when to pull back.

Merlo allowed Teir to lead them away from the wolves to a less forested area without resistance, though a part of him wanted to just throw off the quiver he wore and run back to Howling Rock. He didn't want to be wandering around the area surrounding his new home, trying to do something that held no interest to him. How could one focus on waiting for rabbits and squirrels when the world was so…not like the Palace?

Violet eyes slipped to the side, taking a quick scan of the warrior elf. No, Teir would never understand; none of the Wild Hunt could. They'd all been born in the wild of the world, free and at one with nature. None of them could know how it felt to be such an outsider, an observer who wasn't part of the scenes he watched everyday, yet too close to the action to be an objective spectator. He didn't like this; he didn't like that disappointed look Teir kept giving him. It reminded him too much of the looks the Sun Folk gave him back home, the looks he was trying to escape.

Teir and Merlo returned to the holt just after sunset when the others were returning to prepare for their Howling. From her usual knitting spot at the base of Howling Rock, Kini looked up at their approached, but her smile faded as the two got closer. The Sun Villager's face looked drawn and tired, thick hair plastered to his skull as if he'd taken another fall in the river. As if in a daze, he slid off Teir's wolf when it came to a stop- leaving a wet trail behind him and gray wolf fur sticking to his legs -nearly collapsed on trembling legs that somehow barely managed to carry his weight, and didn't even attempt to greet his sister before stumbling into his den. As he hit his sleeping furs, he sighed audibly, a tremor detectable, and soon the sounds of his deep breathing rose out of his den. Kini glanced in and cocked her head to the side curiously when she saw how he twitched in his sleep.

"What happened out there?" Kini demanded, staring at Teir with wide violet eyes filled with fear.

The second chief of the Wild Hunt looked at the female Sun Villager coolly, but didn't answer right away; he was too busy of how to explain what had happened without upsetting the Sun Villager.

"Teir?" Scouter appeared from the top of the wolf rock and came sliding down to where his Chief's lifemate and Kini stood. He was surprised to see the three dead rabbits thrown over Teir's shoulder since Pike had taken Krim and Yun out hunting for the tribe that night. "I didn't know you were hunting tonight."

"I was out with Merlo."

"Really? Where is he…" He trailed off, catching the soft snoring coming from Merlo's den. Merlo hated going to his furs before everyone else, thinking that it made him appear weak. Not understanding, he took a step closer and his nose curled as he detected the stench of vomit and blood coming from inside Merlo's den. "Timmorn's Blood, Teir, what did you-"

"We worked on his aim with an arrow," Teir cut in, trying to keep Scouter from going into another one of his rants. He could appreciate how protective the Wolfrider had become of the Sun Villager, but tonight his concern wasn't called for. "We were working on straw targets and he missed-"

"That wouldn't-"

"-And hit a rabbit by mistake."

Scouter paused, considering the effects killing a creature would have on Merlo, then shook his head. "But that still doesn't…"

"The rabbits didn't die right away," Teir added gravely, presenting his kill to the Wolfrider. He displayed the hind left leg, which was bloodier than the rest of the body. "Merlo's shot only injured it, but enough that we couldn't just leave it. We had to chase it around for half the day to finish it off."

"And the others?" Kini gulped.

"Happened during the chase." Hanging the rabbit Merlo had wounded back on his shoulder, he took the other two rabbits and showed them to Scouter, though he was acutely aware that Kini was watching him intently as well. Both animals' skulls were indented as if they had been smashed in.

"How-"

"It wasn't something I'd ever seen before. The rabbits were hiding in a log- it might have been their den -and Merlo was trying to keep up with me, so he wasn't as careful with his footing as he should have been." Teir paused a moment to wince at the moment of what had happened. "A part of the log collapsed under his weight and crushed these two before they had the chance to run."

Kini gasped, hand flying to her mouth, and tears immediately filled her eyes as she spun around to gaze at her brother's den.

"There were young in the den…" Teir trails off seeing the pure horror on Kini's face as she understands what he's getting at.

Sympathy for her brother and his knack for getting in trouble swelled within Kini almost as intensely as her disgust and her feelings quickly turn into a flare of anger towards Teir for taking her brother out. She could have told Teir that Merlo was not meant to have a weapon in his hands; he had no business anywhere near hunting grounds. However, Scouter beat her to the punch.

"He shouldn't have been out with you in the first place! What did you think would happen? Merlo doesn't know the first thing about-"

"That's why I was trying to teach him!" Teir snapped. It was hard to keep his temper with Scouter already acting so irrational.

Drawn by the yelling- especially since hearing her lifemate yell was such a strange and rare thing -Ember came bounding to their side of Howling Rock, immediately pushing Teir and Scouter apart. She didn't understand what could have possibly gotten Scouter in such a temper that he'd actually start bearing his teeth at Teir. When he'd rejoined the Wild Hunt, Scouter had been one of the first to attempt to make Teir feel welcome. While there might not have been any deep love between the two, they'd always at least gotten along.

"What are you two yelling about?" she demanded to know, keeping a hand pressed firmly against each elf's chest.

Scouter, Kini, and Teir went silent, as if none of them could come up with a proper explanation for their behavior. Ember fixed a stern look at Teir and sent,_ Lifemate, please. Tell me._

_It's about Merlo._ Teir shared his whole experience with Merlo to Ember, including the argument telling Scouter about it had caused.

At the end of the sending, Ember shook her head wearily and brought a knuckle to her mouth to chew on. Hand on her hip, she turned to Scouter and Kini, all too aware of the concern in their faces, the worry and traces of fear for the Sun Villager. She couldn't blame either of them of being so protective of Merlo; most of the tribe felt a certain drive to watch over the youngest of them. However, if she was going to carry out her original plan to find a place for Merlo, they were going to have to test him, see where his strengths and weakness lied. That couldn't happen if those two were going to snap at anyone who took him away from Howling Rock.

"Pike's almost ready for the howl," she said at last. "Go and join him."

Scouter's cheek twitched like he was about to say something, but for once he kept himself in check and turned on his heel to head over the rocks to where his lifemates awaited him. The female Sun Villager appeared more hesitant to leave; she looked at Ember with pleading violet eyes, but the Chieftess gave her a look that made Kini sigh in defeat as she walked over to where the others of the tribe were. Teir sent to Ember questioningly, wanting to know if the order applied to him as well.

"I'm going to talk to Merlo."

There was something in Ember's tone that worried Teir. _Beloved, please remember-_

_They're not Wolfriders! _Ember mentally snapped, her irritation making itself known in the sharpness of her sending. _I know._

_Firehair…_ Teir cautiously reached out to Ember and held her carefully against him, perfectly aware of how volatile his lifemate could be. He kissed her temple softly and whispered, "Think it over before talking to him, Firehair, please. It wasn't his fault, none of it."

Ember sighed wearily, not understanding how Teir's quiet plea. "I will, Beloved, but I want to settle it tonight."

Although he was doubtful that such a thing could be done, Teir nodded his silent acceptance and left to join the others. When he was gone, Ember kicked a loose stone, sending it flying to the opposite side of the pack gathering. Like Teir, she was frustrated with this situation- especially when he'd described Merlo's behavior when he was supposed to be watching rabbit dens to mark -and had to admit that it was probably best that she took time to cool down before confronting the Sun Villager. So she grabbed her spear and took off to the other end of Howling Rock, away from where her pack gathered. She could still hear the sounds of her tribe members; Pike was undoubtedly already telling a tale to enrapture everyone. However, it was quiet enough for her to deal with her own thoughts.

For a moment she considered reaching out to Sunstream, for her brother was always available to her, but she dismissed the notion. This was her trial to face, and she should thank the High Ones that it was a lot less deadly than the others she'd had to overcome. Not that the lack of immediately danger made her current troubles any less important. To allow her thoughts to flow more smoothly, she started to pace, twirling her spear off handedly.

Merlo wanted to be one of them, maybe even more than Kini did though he wasn't as vocal about that desire, but the Sun Villager just didn't have it in him. There was something missing in the young elf that went beyond mere wolf blood. Him trying to be one of them was like a fish perpetually throwing himself into the air, willing himself to join a flight of hawks overhead. That inability to accept things as they were, the struggle that was ultimately futile...Yet as pointless as the struggle may have seemed, it was important; it kept the fish moving in his environment instead of letting the river simply carry him to his doom.

Ember's spear twirled faster and she had to stop her pacing as she focused on the movement of her hands. It was the struggle of living creatures that kept things from going stagnant, that kept life moving. And sometimes the struggle caused deaths, but it also brought life. That was one of the most important things the Wolfriders had learned during the absence of the Palace. And for there to be struggle, there had to be variation, a difference in the world, lest the creatures be forced to turn upon their own. And then the spear's stilled instantly, landed with its point in the dirt.

Ember had the answer she needed.

The Sun Villager was curled up in his blankets like he had been the last time Ember had come to talk to him. However, this time it was clear that his dreams weren't as peaceful as they normally were in slumber. He whimpered slightly in his sleep and his leg kicked out like he was trying to run. Ember shook him, trying to gently wake him from his bad dream.

"Merlo," she whispered. "Merlo."

Slowly Merlo's eyes opened and for a moment it didn't look as if he recognized Ember, then he seemed to identify her and somehow managed a weak smile in greeting. "Ember. Did I…I was just going to rest a few minutes."

"Sit up, Merlo," Ember commanded sternly.

The Sun Villager swallowed hard and did as his Chieftess commanded, wincing from riding sore muscles in doing so. "Ember…"

"Teir says the tracking didn't work out very well."

Merlo flinched at Ember's statement, teeth clamping onto his bottom lip and eyes sinking to the ground. "I tried, Ember, really I did."

"I'm sure you did, Merlo." Ember forced herself not to give the young elf the fond smile she felt herself naturally inclined to make. "You always do. But that hasn't been enough lately, has it?"

Merlo didn't answer right away. He continued to keep his eyes glued to the ground, even as tears dripped out of them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you or Teir. I wanted to help. It's just…just…" The Sun Villager's breath caught and he heaved a shuddering sigh as he fought to keep back his tears. Pulling his knees close to his chest, he rested his forehead against them as he said, "I don't want to go back to the Palace."

"I'm not saying you have to."

Startled, Merlo's jerked up to look at his Chieftess with wide, teary eyes. "What?"

"The hunt isn't in you, Merlo. It's not in Kini either. You may never become true Wolfriders…but that doesn't matter." Ember sat down beside the Sun Villager wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Our tribe needs more than just Wolfriders. We need Go-Backs and Sun Villagers, too. We need to clash, and to change, and to challenge what has been laid down. That is how we fight back stagnation." To be sure that the Sun Villager was understanding what she was trying to say, cradled Merlo's cheek in the palm of her hand, turning his face to hers. "The world needs butterflies as well as wolves, just like this pack does."

"What-"

She smiled at Merlo's lack of understanding and decided to say it point blank. "We need you…Butterfly."

For once that name didn't sting and Merlo couldn't help but like the way Ember smiled as she said it. He stared at the Chieftess for a moment, trying to decide if Ember was actually serious, but a bubble of laughter formed in the middle of Merlo's chest unexpectedly and, though he tried to slow its progress, it made its way to his throat where he released it as he threw his arms around his Chieftess. He was laughing and crying and thanking and apologizing all at the same time. Ember held the younger elf while he tired himself out and smiled in satisfaction. It was bewildering how just a smidgen of understanding caused Merlo to become so weepy; it really wasn't a Wolfrider reaction, but she would get used to it.

When Merlo apparently cried himself out, she pulled back and gave him a few moments to clean himself up. "Come, the Howl's already begun, but there are probably some dreamberries still left."


	7. A Wolf's Way: Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Ember gave Merlo his Wolfrider name at the Howl and, four days later, Kini still couldn't believe it. True, the name her brother had been given wasn't a name a true Wolfrider would have been pleased with--- especially if they were male ---but the Sun Villager seemed blissfully ignorant of that fact. He was proud of his name, though it'd previously only been used to tease him, and no longer whined or growled or rolled his eyes whenever someone called him, "Butterfly," whether it was Yun, Scouter, or even her. For the first time since they'd joined the Wild Hunt, the Sun Villager male was truly happy. And it was eating Kini up inside.

After all, she was the one who'd found her place within the Wild Hunt first; technically Merlo--- Butterfly ---still didn't have an official title, be it hunter, fisher, tanner, or Howlkeeper. True, with his harp, he woke the Wolfriders every day for their work, but it wasn't a real job; it was just something he liked to do, whether he was asked to do it or not. Being in charge of the majority of the clan's winter clothing, Kini firmly believed that she should have received a name before her brother. Just because he got in trouble more often, thus leading to more meaning heart-to-hearts with their tribeleaders… If anything, Kini felt that she was being punished for doing her job correctly and staying out of trouble.

_It's not fair_, Kini whined in her head. _Now I'm the outsider._ Her teeth clamped down on the string in her hand, cutting it from the ball in her lap, and she rummaged through the rest of his piles of yarn to use for the trimming. _Merlo always has to be the center of attention._

"Kini? You in here?" Pool's head popped through the leather curtains that Kini had pinned up to shelter her den from the morning rays and allowed her to sleep during the day easier. Seeing the Sun Villager sitting in the middle of her den surrounded by her zwoot yarn, Pool beamed charmingly and politely stood where he was, waiting for Kini's permission to enter the den. It was a little strange how touchy the Sun Villagers could get about their dens.

Kini returned Pool's smile with a little less enthusiasmn but there was a genuine welcome in it and she granted Pool access to her den with a wave of her hand. Truthfully, it surprised her how happy the Wolfrider's appearance made her feel. Although Pool and Sust could be a little bothersome with their constant competition to win her interest, feeling ignored and overlooked made Kini welcome the attention her persistent suitors tended to give her.

"Shade and sweet water, Pool," she greeted him congenially as Pool stepped into her den. She expectantly waited a moment for Sust to pop in beside his friend as he typically did, but when the Go-Back didn't show she asked with a trace of worry, "Where's Sust?"

"Oh, Ember took him and Pike spear-fishing. They won't be back for awhile, so I thought I'd drop by and see what you were doing." His tone made it unclear if Pool had chosen Kini for company because he was lonely without his friend, or because Sust had finally given him the opportunity to talk with Kini alone. Either way, Kini couldn't help but laugh.

"Well," she pulled her laughter back into a few polite chuckles, "I'm sorry to say, I probably won't be very fair company today."

Pool's cheery smile melted into a soft frown of concern. "Did something happen?"

"My brother got his name," Kini grumbled before she could catch herself.

Pool blinked in surprise at Kini's bitterness towards her brother; the Sun Villagers had appeared to have been getting along much better these days. However, he'd been envious enough times of Sust and his superior ability with a spear to recognize it in the female elf, though it didn't make him think any worse of her for it. Her situation being as it was, it was more surprising that Kini had managed to keep from pronouncing her jealousy sooner, and to the entire pack.

Tentatively, he took a seat beside Kini's yarn, wishing that he could have been closer to the Sun Villager, but knowing that it was better to deal with an emotional Kini from a safe distance. "I'm sure you'll find a name soon," he assured her, vaguely aware of how lacking his attempt at comfort was, but unable to think of what more he could say.

"But that's the problem," Kini allowed herself to finally say out loud. Fortunately for the Sun Villager, it seemed that Pool was willing to listen to her rant and she was about to waste the opportunity to get her feelings off her chest. "It doesn't matter if I find a name I want. I can't just stand up on the wolf's head and say, 'Guess what everyone? From now on I'm going to be Thistledown' and just expect everyone to accept it."

"'Thistledown'?" The black haired elf giggled and Kini gave the Wolfrider a less than gentle shove.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," Pool confessed with a laugh, pleased that the Sun Villager was being so…playful. "And why not?"

"Because that's the Chief's duty. Only Ember can---"

"Not always," Pool interrupted. Kini looked at the long haired youth in confusion. She thought the answer to that would be plain, especially to a full-blooded Wolfrider. Scouter's son couldn't help but laugh at the dubious expression on the Sun Villager's face. "Chiefs are more responsible for renaming tribemembers, and you've never had one before. When a Wolfrider receives their tribe name, it's the parents who give it to them. Since your parents aren't here, why can't you do it?"

"I…uh…"

"Besides, Pike has told us plenty stories of the first elves when they chose their names themselves. It wouldn't be against the Way exactly. I bet Ember would even abide by your decision, if you chose to take a name."

Kini considered this for a moment, chewed over the possibility, and allowed a chill of excitement run down her spine. To name herself, to declare that she was part of the pack on her own…it was tempting. However, at length, Kini shook her head and bit her bottom lip, eyes focusing on her own hands as she fiddle with her yarn.

"No, that wouldn't be right. My brother earned his name…one way or another; the least I can do is attempt the same." She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and, as she let the air slowly flowed out of her, she released the tension in her body that her anger caused. It was a calming technique she was trying to teach herself, to keep from making the same kind of dumb mistakes she'd made when first coming to Howling Rock. Another shake of her head cleared the remnants of her envy from her mind, at least for the time being, and smiled weakly at her guest.

Learning to control her emotions was a hard task for the once-baby of the Sun Folk when she'd been raised getting what she wanted as soon as she wanted it. While Merlo may have been lavished with attention growing up, Kini had been similarly spoiled in her forty years as an only child and the Sun Folk--- especially her parents and uncle ---had never really broken her of the habit. This similarity in raising was part of the reason why fights between her and her brother had never been too shocking a thing back at the Palace. But now Kini was forcing herself to grow up, to understand that everything didn't flow at her chosen pace, no matter how badly she wanted it to. And it was more frustrating than she ever really would have believed it could be.

"I shouldn't take what is better given," she explained to Pool after several stifling moments of silence. "Besides, I have to work on my patience anyway."

Pool was surprised by the wisdom in Kini's words, and by the determination in her violet eyes. "Well, fair company or not, I'd still like to stay with you." Pool smiled and cocked his head to the side, patiently waiting for Kini's answer to his request.

The Sun Villager giggled at Pool's insistence and found herself unable to deny the pleading look he was unconsciously giving her. "Oh, fine. But I'm not planning on spending all day in here." Dusting herself off, Kini got to her feet and, when Pool did the same, she all but threw her large pile of yarn and a barely started shirt into his arms. She didn't have to give the order for Pool to follow her out of the den.

Merlo was sitting with Tyleet, making one of the Sun Folk straw hats that the red haired elf was so interested in---or at least trying to. Weaving was never one of the young elf's strong points. Despite all the time he'd spent as a child watching his mother and father work, he could never quite get the knack of handling the dried grasses--- or cloth for that matter ---and he cried out more in surprise than in pain as the piece he was working on suddenly snapped up to slap his hand. With tears in his eyes, he sucked on the sore spot, trying to ease the sting, but didn't tell Tyleet of the mishap. However, Tyleet had heard his cry anyway and looked like she wanted to check on the young elf, make sure he wasn't too badly hurt, but then she noticed Kini approaching them.

"Oh, little brother, you're still doing it too roughly," Kini scolded and crouched down to take Merlo's hand and look it over. Ignoring Merlo's pout, she released his hand--- sure that it would be fine ---and took charge of folding the dried grass properly. "Ease them along, don't force them. Like this. See?"

Merlo muttered something under his breath too quietly for Kini to catch, but she was fairly sure that she didn't want to hear it anyway. Merlo had developed quite a vocabulary hanging around Scouter and Mender. Instead of even acknowledging that Merlo had spoken, the Sun Villager female turned to Pool's mother and greeted her with a sparkling smile.

"Shade and sweet water, Tyleet."

"Shade and sweet water, Kini." Tyleet glanced at her son smiling behind the Sun Villager and couldn't help how her welcoming grin shifted into bemused smile. She had been a little surprised when she'd been unable to find Pool early that morning, but, with Sust gone, she should have known that he'd be with Kini. Tyleet couldn't tell if the boys' attraction to Kini was based on the fact that they liked her, or that she was the newest female in the tribe. But she was fairly sure that neither boy was going to give up until the Sun Villager chose lovemate, whether it was one of them or not. Honestly, Tyleet couldn't even tell if Kini was interested in the boys or was just humoring them until they hopefully great tired of their game.

"I've finally finished my brother's coat," Kini announced, sitting beside the Wolfrider. She liked talking shop with the tanner, almost as much as she enjoyed trying to learn how to treat hides when she wasn't busy with her white-cold clothing. "I was going to make it first, but then opportunities kept popping up to measure everyone else and once I've got someone's measurements in my head, I've got to get it done or else I forget them."

"Can I see it?" Merlo threw in without looking up from his project.

"No," Kini answered off handedly. "I'm waiting until I'm finished with everyone's before showing them off."

"But you said---"

Smirking at the pout Merlo lifted his head to shoot at her, Kini turned back to Tyleet. "After I finish this one for Krim, Scouter's the last one."

"Really?" Tyleet asked with a giggle; she'd forgotten how funny the siblings could be when they weren't seriously going for each other's throats.

"Yes; it's been hard pinning him down for a measuring. He's always sleeping if he's not on watch duty or hunting."

"Scouter works hard," Merlo stepped in defensively. "He deserves to sleep when he needs it."

"I wasn't saying he doesn't," Kini quipped. "I'm just saying that he's so busy, I'm going to have trouble making sure his coat fits him right. That's all."

Merlo looked as if he wasn't sure if his sister meant her words or if he should keep pushing his defensive of the Wolfrider scout. However, at Kini's amused shake of her head, he decided that it was better to just let the subject drop.

Cheerful over her avoidance of a fight with her brother and eager to get on with her work, Kini refocused on the two needles in her hands and her yarn, blocking out the rest of the world as she performed her designated tribal task. She could be much like Merlo in that way; when she was really focused on something, she didn't have room for much else. Her attention span was more extended than Merlo's, though, meaning she tended to fixate on things longer than her brother would with that intense focus.

"Softsong," Pool said out of the blue after what felt like a solid hour had passed.

Some how, that one word cut through Kini's dedicated haze and she froze in her knitting, looking at the Wolfrider curiously. "What?"

Tyleet also paused in her hide scraping to look at her son curiously. Pool seemed a little embarrassed by the suddenly attention--- even Merlo was now looking at him in bewilderment ---but explained, "If you were to name yourself, you should pick Softsong."

Kini couldn't believe Pool was still stuck on that subject. However, she had to admit that he'd caught her attention with his suggestion. "Why Softsong?"

"Because you're always humming," Merlo interjected knowingly. "Every time you're working on something."

The Sun Villager blushed at the fact that she'd never noticed her odd tendency, yet everyone else apparently had. Seeing Kini's negative reaction to his suggestion, Pool hastily added, "It's nice seeing you enjoying your work like that." Kini couldn't help but smile at Pool's comment and he felt encouraged enough to continue. "But it's not just that. I mean…" He paused, trying to think of the best way to word his thoughts without upsetting or insulting Kini. "There's always something…musical about everything you do."

"Musical?"

"I like it," Tyleet stepped in, saving her son from embarrassing himself further. "It's fitting for you."

Kini looked thoughtfully at the elder Wolfrider, than broke into giggles and shook her head vigorously, tall ponytail waving like a willow branches in the wind. "Oh, no, Tyleet. That's not me." She lowered her lids halfway and smiled flirtatiously at Pool as she said, "I'm not so soft."

"You are in all the ways that count," Pool replied without missing a beat, surprised and excited that Kini was actually showing interest in him.

Tyleet chuckled at the pair and stood up, walking over to the male Sun Villager and pulling him to his feet. "I just remembered, Butterfly, that with Ember, Pike, and Sust fishing, Scouter has no hunting duties and should have gotten all the sleep he needs for the day. It's an excellent time for Kini to measure him for his clothing. Let's go get him."

Although not always very quick on subtlety, Merlo caught onto Tyleet's idea of giving the pair some alone time and he unconsciously blushed as he awkwardly followed the red haired Wolfrider out of sight of Kini and Pool. Right away Kini understood what Tyleet was doing and she couldn't decide if she should be grateful to the Wolfrider or unbelievably angry with her. It wasn't that Kini didn't like Pool; on the contrary, she found the full blooded Wolfrider to be quite charming. However, she was quite sure that Pool would take her harmless flirting for much more than it really was, so decided to nip the situation in the bud before it had the chance to get out of control.

Smiling prettily, Kini bit down on the last stitch, sparing a moment to gaze at the finished coat in appreciation, then gathered her yarn before getting gracefully to her feet. "I'd better go with them before Scouter has the chance to make up an excuse not to be fitted today."

"But…" Pool trailed off as Kini left, feeling embarrassed and frustrated, but not enough to give up. Getting to his feet, he wondered if there was still time for him to catch up with Sust's fishing group. He glanced over his shoulder and couldn't help but smile at Kini's disappearing form as an idea to gain the female's favor came to him.

The Wild Hunt had gathered on the night of the full moon, huddled closer than they usually sat, breaking off more in groups rather than pairs. With the nights getting colder as the season of white cold drew closer, their howls had grown more subdued than usually and even after a bellyful of dreamberries Pike couldn't come up with a single story that felt right for this night. So he opened the floor, allowing his tribe to throw out whatever suggestions they had.

Amidst the cheerful shouts for tales of the first Wolfriders to bond with their wolves, the discovery of dreamberries, and even the war with the Djun, Ember noticed that Kini and Merlo were sitting quietly, not involving themselves in the story telling decision. They were normally like that, perfectly satisfied to be silent in the background while the Wolfriders argued and joked. Now that she thought about it, Ember realized that neither Sun Villager had ever taken a turn telling a story, which even Teir had done after rejoining them years ago.

"Kini, why don't you give us a tale?" Ember's voice cut threw the tribe like a crash of thunder, though she'd spoken almost quietly.

Kini's eyes grew wide as everyone turned to her expectantly at Ember's suggestion. Even Merlo tilted his head curiously at his sister, the expression on his face obviously telling her to go ahead. On the opposite of the circle, Pool and Sust also gave Kini clear support in their faces, both eager to hear more about the Sun Villager they were pursuing. However, as nice as the support was, Kini didn't feel up to the job of entertaining the entire tribe.

"Oh, no, Ember. I'm no storyteller."

"It's easy, Kini." Pike stepped up to the female and crouched down in front of her, taking her hand and placing several items in it. "These are all you need."

Kini looked at the dreamberries now in her hand doubtfully. "I…"

"Please, Kini." The Sun Villager was surprised when her Chieftess addressed her in a near whine, like a child begging its parents to stay up just a little longer. "I grew up in the Sun Village, and haven't had much of a chance to do more than visit briefly in eights of years. It'd be nice to hear some stories of it."

Though she hadn't made it an order, Kini found it hard to deny her chieftess' request, especially when she made that child-like voice. "All right."

Taking a deep breath, Kini got up and walked over to the center of their circle close to the fire. She kept the dreamberries Pike had given to her in a firm, yet gentle grip as she considered all of the possible stories she could tell. Truthfully nothing too exciting had happened in the Sun Village apart from the Go-Back War, but considering that Yun and Mender had lived through it, she didn't believe they'd want to remember that awful event. Serrin cutting Dart out of wrapstuff to Recognize him was the last truly exciting thing that had happened before the humans had come driving the entire village underground. All these stories that came to mind were much too depressing and harsh for a Howling.

"Mother and father's first Recognition," Merlo quipped as if he knew what Kini was struggling with. "That's a good one."

Surprised for a minute, Kini smiled gratefully at her brother for his suggestion. Yes, she'd forgotten how important her own conception and birth had been to her people. Clearing her throat, she closed her eyes and concentrated on those foggy memories, trying to bring them closer to the surface. Without thinking about it, she popped a dreamberry into her mouth, then another, and another until all the berries she'd been holding were gone. Swallowing the sweet tasting fruit, she felt the haze of her memories start to clear and focus as the story her mother had loved to tell her before bed every night when she was a child; she'd even once lock-sent the entire tale to her when she'd started showing interest in taking a lovemate of her own.

"Mother was a potter, not as good as some but fair enough, and worked the fields when it was the season for it. Father was a weaver who made all the clothes for the festivals and special occasions. They'd been friends for years, since the Wolfriders had first come to the Sun Village and settled down. Both had fallen for a Wolfrider, yet been driven back by the differences between us, not able to understand or accept what they truly were, even though mother stayed close to her heart's once-desire."

Dewshine sat up from reclining against Scouter and asked, "Kini your parents…"

"Vurdah and Ahnshen."

Dewshine, Scouter, and Pike all shared a look; they were the only original Wolfriders who'd traveled the length of the desert to make it to Sorrow's End, and they all remember the incident involving Ahnshen and Moonshade. They'd also known that Vurdah had been one of the three maidens who'd taken a particular liking to Skywise, then disappeared from the stargazer's side for years. None of them were quite aware of exactly what had happened between the two, but the way Kini was talking, it appeared that their "break up" had had more effect on the Sun Villager than they had assumed.

"Their failure to 'tame' the Wolfriders helped my parents bond to the point that they were as close as elves could be without being lovemates or siblings. Once Skywise left the village on his quest with Cutter, Mother had decided that she would take no lovemates until she Recognized."

A dreamy sigh escaped Merlo as if it was the most romantic thing he'd ever heard and Tyleet had to cover her mouth to stifle her giggle of amusement. Pike shook his head, not understanding how any elf could make such a decision. It wasn't just Recognition that made lifemates, otherwise he never would have had Krim or Skot. However, the smile that Kini gave her brother said that she echoed his feelings on the subject, which caused Pool and Sust to shift in their seats a little uneasily. A far away look came to Kini's purple eyes as the dreamberries began to take full affect and she cradled her arms close to her stomach as she continued.

"Mother longed for a child more than anything and father, well, what he wanted the most was a lifemate that he could know inside and outside, no ambiguity and no doubts. They both knew that Recognition would fulfil their dreams, but they never thought that it would happen between them. On the day that it happened, Mother was working in the fields collecting the new harvest for the Flood and Flowers Festival--- it'd been a grand year for the Sun Village, though no more exciting than most as they awaited the awakening of Cutter's tribe ---when she came up the most extraordinary colored flower." In her dreamberry haze, Kini walked over to a flower beside Mender's foot and started acting out her story as she said, "Mother had never seen a flower so vibrant and purple in her entire life, so she unrooted the flower and took it to show Ahnshen. I think she was planning on asking him to make her a festival gown to match her discovery when she entered his hut, but she was so excited, she didn't watch her step as she rushed down the stairs to his workshop."

So caught up in her story, Kini actually tripped over her own feet and it was by mere reflex alone that Sust caught her. She giggled as she pulled herself back to look at his face, lowering her eyelids at him flirtatiously, draping her arms over his shoulders to support herself.

"It was really only by luck that Father managed to catch Mother before she took a tumble that would have been hard for even Mender to fix. Of course Mother was ready to die of embarrassment and started to explain all about her discovery of the purple flower. Father never looked away from her face for a second." Kini leaned in, almost brushing her lips against Sust's as she said, "The moment she could bring herself to meet his gaze…it struck."

"What?" Sust asked breathlessly, just starting to lean in a little further.

"Recognition!" Instantly Kini was on her feet, escaping before their lips could meet and Sust nearly toppled forward.

Pool laughed at his friend's missed opportunity, slapping his back sympathetically as his eyes focused on the female gamboling away from them. Sust cursed under his breath and sent that at least he'd gotten close to having the first kiss, for the second time. That was more than Pool could say.

"Recognition," Kini repeated herself, unaware of the argument she'd started, "after eights of eights of nothing but endless time and boring routine."

"I remember that," Mender interrupted, chuckling over the incident involving Sust. Trying not to seem like he was unable to control his snickering, he added, "The festival was moved to the next day to celebrate."

"Yes, and mother became the first lifebearer of the Sun Folk since Serrin, daughter of Wing and Behita."

Mender automatically winced at the name of his brother, surprising even himself with his reaction. The Now of Wolf thought had eased the passing of his brother so many centuries ago, but hearing his name spoken in the first time in so long conjured up an old pain that would never fade completely. Yun, at Mender's shoulder, curled up closer to the healer, sensing his ache and silently offering her aid in easing it. He gave her a grateful smile before turning his attention back to Kini's story telling.

"Father provided everyone with new clothes, which he'd been saving when they celebrated Leetah's return. But even Savah agreed that it would be all right to use them since Leetah probably wouldn't want a fancy celebration when she returned to her home land." Spinning on her toes, Kini clasped her hands to her chest and proclaimed, "It was such a simple way for Recognition to occur, no problems and no conflicts--- Mother and Father agreed to be lifemates and moved into Father's hut ---but the festival was so beautiful! The lights, the clothes, the flowers, everything! Even Windkin was jovial and that glider had been sour since we'd lost Dart to wrapstuff a second time."

This time it was Dewshine who reacted to Kini's lighthearted mention of her son. To have him called a glider…She grasped Scouter's hand and leaned against him more. Off handedly she wondered where her son was now--- he'd not come when Cutter's son had piloted the Palace after the Djun war ---but then Kini had actually started dancing, drawing everyone's attention.

It was a common dance performed by Sun Villagers for their Flood and Flower Festivals, but for those who'd only seen the primal Go-Back dance for the dead, it was unbelievably graceful and amazing. Even Mender who'd seen such dances countless times during his life in the Sun Village found himself unable to tear his eyes off the dancer. At some point Merlo had joined in with his harp, matching the rhythm of Kini's movements without missing a beat, but no one was quite sure when. It was almost as if the music had been there the entire time Kini had been talking and it was just now that it was loud enough for all of them to hear.

Feeling a tingling sensation building under her feet, Ember found herself compelled to join in the dance and, without a word to Teir, did just that. Kini didn't seem surprised with Ember's presence and immediately took her chieftess' hands in her own. They moved like two parts of one mind, totally in sync and flawless, and no one present could look away. There was something special about this dance, this tribute to life, that made everyone just stop and appreciate it.

_Softsong._

Kini looked at Ember in confusion--- which was only partially due to the dreamberries she'd consumed ---though she didn't stop dancing. Had it really been the chieftess that had sent to her just now?

_Pool told me what you were talking about earlier, and he's right._ The song ended, but Ember didn't let go of Kini's hands. This time she made her sending open to all of those gathered. _You are Softsong._

Kini gasped out loud, eyes going large with disbelief, and looked around at the Wild Hunt. Smiles were plastered on every face and Kini still couldn't believe it. At last her eyes fell on Pool and instantly teared up; she couldn't even send how grateful she was to the Wolfrider. Pool beamed at the attention and gave Sust a smug smile, telling him that this contest wasn't even close to being over.


End file.
